thank heavens. I made it through all 3 rounds of p/t interviews, and not once was I personally attacked. Yay me. I got home in such a good mood today, around 4, that I decided to paint the bathroom. It's a lovely creamy yellow colour, and has really brightened the bathroom up quite a bit. The trim looks absolutely disgusting now, more a vile grey than anything resembling white, but we'll fix that up later. I'm hoping to get the bedroom done next, but will definitely need help to do the main apartment walls.
tomorrow I have my 2 PD sessions, which I'm looking forward to, and I think I know at least one person in each session, which is also nice. Grant is coming home again this weekend, and I have a whack of marking and filling in of bubble sheets to do, so there probably won't be much going on at all. I had toyed with the idea of celebrating Halloween in some way, but haven't come up with anything yet, and am too tired to at this point.
My bathroom looks terrific though. And the curtains even look better, since they're orange and yellow.
We had the 'how to use power point and email' session today, very useful. ha. After a brief hands-on tutorial, we were allowed to make our own presentation, on a topic of our choice. My teacher friend who was sitting beside me did her presentation on manatees, and it was freaking hilarious. She had a voice over and funny captions and everything. Mine was called "a few of my favourite things - getting to know your art teacher", and I had slides for my family, pets, and Vin Deisel and the Rock. It rocked. ha. I made each slide a different and horrible colour, with completely random animations and sound effects. I earned myself a certificate for my proficiency.
Good tv starts now, I'm off.
Thursday, October 30
Wednesday, October 29
new linky link
This just showed up as my blogsnob link, and I thought maybe we'd like it. I'll keep an eye on it, and if it's a good read, add it to yonder sidebar of linky goodness.
and god damn
I'm tired. We had round 2 of parent teacher interviews, for 2.5 hours tonight. It went well, but added to the 2 hours we already did, and the 2 hours tomorrow afternoon, that's a damn lot of parent teacher time. I have to go to a PD on powerpoint tomorrow, did I mention that already? I'm thinking of bringing marking, but that would be sort of rude I think. *sigh*
anyway, I have to go to bed so that I don't collapse in the middle of lunch tomorrow.
hasta luego.
anyway, I have to go to bed so that I don't collapse in the middle of lunch tomorrow.
hasta luego.
Tuesday, October 28
T-1 day
I can't believe it, but tomorrow is my last day with my 9s and 10s. And of course, the 10s were not being psychopaths today, we did a review and sort of relaxed, it was nice. Also, one of my grade 9 students may have lit a fire in a garbage can in the school, endangering the lives of students, staff, and the wee kiddies at the daycare that's run out of the school.
Good times.
Tomorrow we're having an assembly, so all of the classes will be shortened slightly. This gives me less time to test, but I don't want to kill them anyway so it's ok. I have to get that typed up though, and email it to myself so I can print it on the swanky laser printer at school.
That's about all my news, sadly. Check this out though. Somebody has way too much time on his hands...
oh, and also, the accused fire-starter is the same boy who put the frog in my pen cup. I'm disappointed.
Good times.
Tomorrow we're having an assembly, so all of the classes will be shortened slightly. This gives me less time to test, but I don't want to kill them anyway so it's ok. I have to get that typed up though, and email it to myself so I can print it on the swanky laser printer at school.
That's about all my news, sadly. Check this out though. Somebody has way too much time on his hands...
oh, and also, the accused fire-starter is the same boy who put the frog in my pen cup. I'm disappointed.
Monday, October 27
actually rather depressing
that little tidbit there. I posted it for a funny, but a lot of teachers were like, wait a minute....
hehe
Speaking of not getting paid enough for what we do, tonight we drove 30 minutes out of the way to do parent teacher interviews for the rural folks whose kids go to my school. A nice gesture, sure, but I just got home 10 minutes ago. We have p/t interviews again Wednesday night at school and again Thursday afternoon. Thursday morning is to be spent in an in-school PD on how to use powerpoint and use email. I'm pretty bitter, especially considering that I did a powerpoint presentation in order to get my job. Also, I've had a computer since I was about 7, even if it was the super old-school one where you stuck the giant casette disks in the back of the keyboard part. Point being, clearly, I do not need any amount of tutoring in these matters, and could use my time much more effectively to finish up marking or something. But alas. Friday is also to be spent in PD, but this one is actually 5 minutes away from my house, not at school, and although it won't be useful for teaching art (because there is no such thing as art PD, as far as I can tell), I'm getting a course on digital photography (not useful for teaching because we don't have any cameras, let alone digi ones) and one on positive learning environment/making connections with kids, which should be generally useful. I don't have a problem making connections with kids, but I'm always looking for ways to improve, and there was nothing else worth taking.
Anyway, p/t tonight wasn't bad, I had 9 parents show up, which was more than I had bargained for, but most didn't stay long because either their kids are doing really well, or they're doing decent (no failers parents showed up), and either way, I only have the 9s and 10s for 2 more days, so it's a bit late in the game to be making any drastic changes. Nobody yelled at me or questioned my credentials, so I consider the evening a huge success. We had supper at the Irving Big Stop so I got to have breakfast, which was also a bonus.
Just saw an ad for ER, it looks exciting this week!
I'd like to have a party or something for Halloween, any ideas?
I have detention duty tomorrow, so I'm stuck at school til 5, and should be able to get most of my marking done. I'm not accepting projects after tomorrow (such a bitch, eh?) since I haven't assigned anything new for a week, we've just been catching up and doing textbook work. Tomorrow is review and then Wednesday is a test, so all I should have to mark is the tests. I should be able to finish those up without too much trouble and be able to have some fun this weekend, before jumping right in to 3 new classes on Monday. *sigh*. I've got things set to go a bit better though, I'm giving a more detailed outline with the class supply requirements on it, those being class fee, pencils, a pen, eraser, notbook, and sketchbook. I was feeling all bad making them pay their fees, giving them pencils etc, but that's not the way it's been done before, so I'm going to follow this one thing in the old art teacher's footsteps. I'm also going to make them bring in 2 pieces of bristol board (2/$1 at dollarama) to make a portfolio they can bring home with them. The fee for 9s and 10s is only $10, which doesn't cover much, and gets them all the supplies beyond what was mentioned above, which is a lot of stuff. I also found a 'classroom expectations' sheet that he had the students sign, I'm doing that one over as well. It has really clearly spelled out consequences, what's ok and what's not, which is exactly the same things I've been telling my students, but this one they have to read and sign and give back, so there's no pleading ignorance later.
Anyway, I had planned on a really quick hello and then to bed, and this went long and now I'm sucked in to CSI: Miami, so I'll go watch that in my jammies.
a bientot.
hehe
Speaking of not getting paid enough for what we do, tonight we drove 30 minutes out of the way to do parent teacher interviews for the rural folks whose kids go to my school. A nice gesture, sure, but I just got home 10 minutes ago. We have p/t interviews again Wednesday night at school and again Thursday afternoon. Thursday morning is to be spent in an in-school PD on how to use powerpoint and use email. I'm pretty bitter, especially considering that I did a powerpoint presentation in order to get my job. Also, I've had a computer since I was about 7, even if it was the super old-school one where you stuck the giant casette disks in the back of the keyboard part. Point being, clearly, I do not need any amount of tutoring in these matters, and could use my time much more effectively to finish up marking or something. But alas. Friday is also to be spent in PD, but this one is actually 5 minutes away from my house, not at school, and although it won't be useful for teaching art (because there is no such thing as art PD, as far as I can tell), I'm getting a course on digital photography (not useful for teaching because we don't have any cameras, let alone digi ones) and one on positive learning environment/making connections with kids, which should be generally useful. I don't have a problem making connections with kids, but I'm always looking for ways to improve, and there was nothing else worth taking.
Anyway, p/t tonight wasn't bad, I had 9 parents show up, which was more than I had bargained for, but most didn't stay long because either their kids are doing really well, or they're doing decent (no failers parents showed up), and either way, I only have the 9s and 10s for 2 more days, so it's a bit late in the game to be making any drastic changes. Nobody yelled at me or questioned my credentials, so I consider the evening a huge success. We had supper at the Irving Big Stop so I got to have breakfast, which was also a bonus.
Just saw an ad for ER, it looks exciting this week!
I'd like to have a party or something for Halloween, any ideas?
I have detention duty tomorrow, so I'm stuck at school til 5, and should be able to get most of my marking done. I'm not accepting projects after tomorrow (such a bitch, eh?) since I haven't assigned anything new for a week, we've just been catching up and doing textbook work. Tomorrow is review and then Wednesday is a test, so all I should have to mark is the tests. I should be able to finish those up without too much trouble and be able to have some fun this weekend, before jumping right in to 3 new classes on Monday. *sigh*. I've got things set to go a bit better though, I'm giving a more detailed outline with the class supply requirements on it, those being class fee, pencils, a pen, eraser, notbook, and sketchbook. I was feeling all bad making them pay their fees, giving them pencils etc, but that's not the way it's been done before, so I'm going to follow this one thing in the old art teacher's footsteps. I'm also going to make them bring in 2 pieces of bristol board (2/$1 at dollarama) to make a portfolio they can bring home with them. The fee for 9s and 10s is only $10, which doesn't cover much, and gets them all the supplies beyond what was mentioned above, which is a lot of stuff. I also found a 'classroom expectations' sheet that he had the students sign, I'm doing that one over as well. It has really clearly spelled out consequences, what's ok and what's not, which is exactly the same things I've been telling my students, but this one they have to read and sign and give back, so there's no pleading ignorance later.
Anyway, I had planned on a really quick hello and then to bed, and this went long and now I'm sucked in to CSI: Miami, so I'll go watch that in my jammies.
a bientot.
Teachers get paid too much....
I'm fed up with teachers and their hefty salary guides. What we need here is a little perspective. If I had my way, I'd pay these teachers myself...I'd pay them babysitting wages.
That's right...instead of paying these out-rageous taxes, I'd give them $3.00 an hour out of my own pocket. And, I'm only going to pay them for five hours, not coffee breaks. That would be $15.00 a day. Each parent should pay $15.00 a day for these teachers to babysit their children. Even if they have more than one child, it's still cheaper than private daycare.
Now how many children do they teach a day - maybe twenty-five? That's $15.00 X 25 = $375.00 a day.
But remember, they only work 190 days a year! I'm not going to pay them for all those vacations.
$375 X 190 = $71,250. (Just a minute, I think my calculator needs batteries.)
I know you teachers will say what about those who have ten years of experience and a master's degree? Well, maybe (just to be fair) they could get the minimum wage, and instead of just babysitting, they could read the kids a story. We can round that off to about $5.00 an hour, times five hours, times twenty-five children. $5.00 X 5 X 25.
That's $625 a day times 190 days. That's $118, 750.
HUH???? Wait a minute. Let's get a little perspective here.
Babysitting wages are too good for those teachers. Did anyone see a salary guide around here???!
That's right...instead of paying these out-rageous taxes, I'd give them $3.00 an hour out of my own pocket. And, I'm only going to pay them for five hours, not coffee breaks. That would be $15.00 a day. Each parent should pay $15.00 a day for these teachers to babysit their children. Even if they have more than one child, it's still cheaper than private daycare.
Now how many children do they teach a day - maybe twenty-five? That's $15.00 X 25 = $375.00 a day.
But remember, they only work 190 days a year! I'm not going to pay them for all those vacations.
$375 X 190 = $71,250. (Just a minute, I think my calculator needs batteries.)
I know you teachers will say what about those who have ten years of experience and a master's degree? Well, maybe (just to be fair) they could get the minimum wage, and instead of just babysitting, they could read the kids a story. We can round that off to about $5.00 an hour, times five hours, times twenty-five children. $5.00 X 5 X 25.
That's $625 a day times 190 days. That's $118, 750.
HUH???? Wait a minute. Let's get a little perspective here.
Babysitting wages are too good for those teachers. Did anyone see a salary guide around here???!
Friday, October 24
finally
it's Friday. I'm tired, and I'm not having fun with most of my classes right now. They're just lazy shits, and I found out today that one of my grade 11 students FAILED GRADE 10 ART last year. Somehow he is allowed to take art this year? I don't think so. I'm going to find out if this is true, and if it's a pre-requisite, someone is going to catch hell for letting him in. I didn't think to check on that, I thought they would enforce pre-requisites. If art 10 is not a pre-req for 11, I'm going to lobby hard core that it be made so, because this is rediculous. They fail art, or do very poorly, but are allowed to continue on, and sit and do nothing. This particular student is not passing right now, we'll see what happens.
on a lighter note, Grant is supposedly on his way here, although as usual he didn't call to let me know what's going on. I brought the 'ways to maintain healthy insanity' and a really funny thing about how teachers get paid too much, into school today and posted them in the mail room, which gave everyone some giggles. I think Friday Funnies are a great idea, I'm going to try to do that from now on, so if you have any general funnies, or teacher-specific funnies, send 'em my way. They have to be relatively clean, sadly, because the SRC kids have a mailbox in there too.
I'm pretty tired. I'm going bowling tomorrow night with the staff from school. I'm a miserable bowler, but there's a bar there so it should be a good time. I'm going to try to convince Grant to come with, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope, because he's rediculously busy, what with the 7 courses and all.
one final happy note, today it did NOT rain during lunch, first day all week. Also, this weekend is time change weekend, fall back, so it won't be pitch black when I get up in the morning! For a couple of weeks....
on a lighter note, Grant is supposedly on his way here, although as usual he didn't call to let me know what's going on. I brought the 'ways to maintain healthy insanity' and a really funny thing about how teachers get paid too much, into school today and posted them in the mail room, which gave everyone some giggles. I think Friday Funnies are a great idea, I'm going to try to do that from now on, so if you have any general funnies, or teacher-specific funnies, send 'em my way. They have to be relatively clean, sadly, because the SRC kids have a mailbox in there too.
I'm pretty tired. I'm going bowling tomorrow night with the staff from school. I'm a miserable bowler, but there's a bar there so it should be a good time. I'm going to try to convince Grant to come with, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope, because he's rediculously busy, what with the 7 courses and all.
one final happy note, today it did NOT rain during lunch, first day all week. Also, this weekend is time change weekend, fall back, so it won't be pitch black when I get up in the morning! For a couple of weeks....
Thursday, October 23
beefalo?
yeah, I was out with Jenn the other day, on our way to a movie, and we ate at a new place called Billy Rockets. It's just new, Moncton is the first place to have it. Anyway, their signage drew my attention, they had advertised a buffalo steak souvlaki. Now, I wasn't too sure about that, since chicken or pork is the norm for souvlaki, but I was intrigued by the buffalo steak bit. I inquire, and as I do I see the sign, that they use only buffalo meat, no beef. Interesting. I had a burger, and it tasted...like a burger. It was actually really good, it had bacon and bbq sauce and ranch dressing on it, so honestly, the meat could have tasted like anything and it would have been good....no, I joke, I tried a bit of the plain meat sticking out, and it was just beefy. AND, it has like 1/3 the fat of CHICKEN. Its slogan is 'the way beef should taste'. The buffalo meat people, not the restaurant. AND, they get their meat from a local farm, so it's a win-win. Not for the buffalo, but let's not get into that.
pardon me while I try to find you a link....
here you go. I found one that was called "buffalomeatfacts.com" but wasn't as informative, for some inexplicable reason.
Ok, I got thinking about that because Tiresa was telling me how she made shepherd's pie with ground chicken, and it was quite tasty.
On another unrelated note, I spent my prep period today walking around the school with a box of cookies, and giving them away to anyone I came across. People *love* free cookies, I'll tell ya! It was a very relaxing and fun way to spend an hour, which yes, I should have spent doing something productive, but I've been doing entirely too much of that lately, and I needed a break.
I have to go eat supper now!
pardon me while I try to find you a link....
here you go. I found one that was called "buffalomeatfacts.com" but wasn't as informative, for some inexplicable reason.
Ok, I got thinking about that because Tiresa was telling me how she made shepherd's pie with ground chicken, and it was quite tasty.
On another unrelated note, I spent my prep period today walking around the school with a box of cookies, and giving them away to anyone I came across. People *love* free cookies, I'll tell ya! It was a very relaxing and fun way to spend an hour, which yes, I should have spent doing something productive, but I've been doing entirely too much of that lately, and I needed a break.
I have to go eat supper now!
Tuesday, October 21
a sampling of messages I got this afternoon in my junk mail folder
sender - subject (all spelling is as was)
we...can.. - show..you How..to Get..Free Paysite..Porn
vbpbvpbvpbvpbvpvb@yahoo... - Make An Onine Friend! (yeah, onine?)
Roman - Moises Men Get Huge Guaranteed without...
Beatriz - Williams this seminar was amazing ... (am I the only one who gets junk addressed to specific people, clearly *not* me?)
enhancement - for your member
Martina - Moore feel so much better since I attended the...
Allen - Orion Get Large Males Safely seemed... (what the HELL does that mean??)
fMccoy carrie - Alvarez Are you a 5 minute man? M co... (Alvarez???)
indoubtabout - yourmanlysize ( I think that one's my favourite)
What the hell? Who sends these things? I get SO many more junk mails lately, within the past month or so, then I ever got before. I get like 40 a day, which isn't much compared to some, but is tonnes compared to what I used to get, about 5 a day. Very odd.
we...can.. - show..you How..to Get..Free Paysite..Porn
vbpbvpbvpbvpbvpvb@yahoo... - Make An Onine Friend! (yeah, onine?)
Roman - Moises Men Get Huge Guaranteed without...
Beatriz - Williams this seminar was amazing ... (am I the only one who gets junk addressed to specific people, clearly *not* me?)
enhancement - for your member
Martina - Moore feel so much better since I attended the...
Allen - Orion Get Large Males Safely seemed... (what the HELL does that mean??)
fMccoy carrie - Alvarez Are you a 5 minute man? M co... (Alvarez???)
indoubtabout - yourmanlysize ( I think that one's my favourite)
What the hell? Who sends these things? I get SO many more junk mails lately, within the past month or so, then I ever got before. I get like 40 a day, which isn't much compared to some, but is tonnes compared to what I used to get, about 5 a day. Very odd.
rain rain, go away
it's cold, and it's rainy, and I have outside duty this week, and it sucks.
my lunch today was delicious though. it's a toss up between chicken and pizza for supper.
I have to stop wasting time playing on the internet and finish marking projects and get the marks on the freaking computer.
my lunch today was delicious though. it's a toss up between chicken and pizza for supper.
I have to stop wasting time playing on the internet and finish marking projects and get the marks on the freaking computer.
Monday, October 20
mmmmmm
I made the tastiest supper. I made a pizza with no sauce, bruschetta topping tomatoes, loads of mozza cheese, and cream cheese in the crust. I also have lots for lunches, or supper. I'm also cooking a chicken and made some carrots and parsnips to go with, also for lunches. I'm on duty this week, so the quicker the better at lunch time.
the chicken beckons, but I wanted to share that with you all.
the chicken beckons, but I wanted to share that with you all.
6 more days left in this term
how the hell did that happen? I have 6 more days with my grades 9 and 10, who make up 75% of my students. They take 4 specialties, so each one only lasts 1/4 of the year. I have some stuff still to do with them, my 9s need a lesson on perspective, and my 10s have to finish making masks and do carving, and everybody needs some more textbook work. Of course. haha. On the upside though, the year is 1/4 finished. Isn't that insane? I'm also looking forward to having a new group in, because I've learned what to do/not to do with this bunch so I get to try new things now.
I had a couple of students get mad at me today because I docked them big marks for plagiarism. They're like, but I didn't plagiarise the whole thing! and You knew it was from the book, what was I supposed to do? Um, get info and put it in your own words perhaps? Or, maybe, cite your sources? Just a thought. Beeotches.
Things are basically going well though.
I was up to Fredericton this weekend to spend some time with my honey. All non-honey time was spent marking art projects, then I came home fairly early Sunday to do more of the same. Good times. Jenn and I went to Walmart to buy underbed storage thingies, which I think I'll get as well, and to see the movie The Rundown with Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock, but as Jenn put it, "can you smell what Dwayne Johnson is cooking?!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.). Anyway, he's a hottie, I do believe. My dear Vin Diesel has some competition for the favourite hottie spot. I like The Rock because he doesn't seem to take himself as seriously as Vin does. Of course, never having met either of them, it's tough to say. I'd take either, really.
Anyway, my hands are cold from typing and the kitties need some lovin', so I'm off. a bientot.
I had a couple of students get mad at me today because I docked them big marks for plagiarism. They're like, but I didn't plagiarise the whole thing! and You knew it was from the book, what was I supposed to do? Um, get info and put it in your own words perhaps? Or, maybe, cite your sources? Just a thought. Beeotches.
Things are basically going well though.
I was up to Fredericton this weekend to spend some time with my honey. All non-honey time was spent marking art projects, then I came home fairly early Sunday to do more of the same. Good times. Jenn and I went to Walmart to buy underbed storage thingies, which I think I'll get as well, and to see the movie The Rundown with Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock, but as Jenn put it, "can you smell what Dwayne Johnson is cooking?!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.). Anyway, he's a hottie, I do believe. My dear Vin Diesel has some competition for the favourite hottie spot. I like The Rock because he doesn't seem to take himself as seriously as Vin does. Of course, never having met either of them, it's tough to say. I'd take either, really.
Anyway, my hands are cold from typing and the kitties need some lovin', so I'm off. a bientot.
Tuesday, October 14
belated bday gifts!
I forgot to mention, I got my Blue Planet dvd in the mail on Friday! I'm going to watch it tonight, I'm so excited. It has polar bears in it!
hugs to Jenn.
I also forgot to tell you about my exciting outlet shopping trip. I got a denim skirt, cords, dark denim capris (boot cut, how does one boot cut something that doesn't go over boots?) from Gap, and 3 tank tops from Old Navy. The rest was a bit of an expensive disappointment, I regret to inform you. They did have a Lindt outlet though, which I miraculously restrained myself from entering. Ok, I forgot, and we went home. Still, I didn't go in, that should count for something.
hugs to Jenn.
I also forgot to tell you about my exciting outlet shopping trip. I got a denim skirt, cords, dark denim capris (boot cut, how does one boot cut something that doesn't go over boots?) from Gap, and 3 tank tops from Old Navy. The rest was a bit of an expensive disappointment, I regret to inform you. They did have a Lindt outlet though, which I miraculously restrained myself from entering. Ok, I forgot, and we went home. Still, I didn't go in, that should count for something.
here come the visuals
and the story, of course. where to begin?
well, I left here about 5pm on Friday, and trucked up to Fredericton to meet Erin and Ryan for the drive. We took my car, since otherwise we would have only been able to bring Ryan's golf clubs. We ended up leaving a bit later than we had planned, around 9, because we had to get some supper and snacks before we could head out. We stopped in Bangor for the night, since between the crazy drivers and the moose on the road, driving after midnight didn't seem like a very safe plan.
We left again in the morning and continued on to North Conway, seeing lots of this sort of thing along the way. Once we arrived, I snapped some more pics of leaves, since that's what I was surrounded by. Very beautiful, as has been said before, but honestly, not better than the views we get around here. Sure, the mountains helped, but the foliage itself was on par.
Sunday we went horseback riding, and I was able to get some lovely pictures along the way, despite the best efforts of my horse, Moe. I'm fairly sure he didn't like me, he kept walking as close as possible to the trees in an effort to brush me off. I think. He also tried to pick fights with the horse in front of me. He'd get really close to him and then I'd reign him back, to which he'd shake his head back and forth, slow down a bit, and then speed up again. He almost got pooped on, but that was no deterrent. The only thing that smartened him up, and scared the crap out of me, was when Cochese turned around and bared his teeth at my horse. No real fight, but there was definite possiblilty. Anyway, at some point my camera got switched off the action man setting, so I ended up getting a lot of shots like this. I blame Moe, he wouldn't hold still at all. It was a good time though, very relaxing. My ass is a bit sore, but I think it was worth it. They wouldn't let me ride this guy because we were all beginners. I was sort of bitter. He was a beauty, big big horse. My cousin and I have decided we're going to buy a horse. Somehow.
We ate out at a fun seafood place on Saturday night, and I ate the better part of my meal before noticing this monstrosity behind me. It's made out of lobster shells, and I think it's super creepy. I moved it so it was looking at Erin instead of me, which was better. I had very tasty, very thick clam chowder, with oyster crackers. Mom said she's going to bring me some of those, because I can't find them here.
A couple of random pictures for you. The 2nd one is from the Olive Garden parking lot. I thought it said "GLMR", but upon closer inspection, it may say "CLMR", which has a different spin I guess. We stopped at Olive Garden for lunch on the way back, and had slow service but delicious food. I so wish they'd build one closer to us here.
Not much else to report really, got to see the family, which is always nice, ate good food, which is great too. Slept on a hideabed, not so much fun there. Tried Smirnoff twisters, which of course are malt beverages and not vodka beverages in the US, but still remarkably tasty. I had orange, raspberry, and cranberry to go with the turkey. I wanted very much to stop at duty free and get myself some booze, and some for Grant's mom, but we went a different way over the border, and the duty free shop is a gas station, and is not labelled as the duty free shop, so we missed it. yarg.
I'm really tired now, I've updated this page and my family's page and cropped and resized a bunch of pictures, so I'm going to eat and nap a bit. a bientot.
well, I left here about 5pm on Friday, and trucked up to Fredericton to meet Erin and Ryan for the drive. We took my car, since otherwise we would have only been able to bring Ryan's golf clubs. We ended up leaving a bit later than we had planned, around 9, because we had to get some supper and snacks before we could head out. We stopped in Bangor for the night, since between the crazy drivers and the moose on the road, driving after midnight didn't seem like a very safe plan.
We left again in the morning and continued on to North Conway, seeing lots of this sort of thing along the way. Once we arrived, I snapped some more pics of leaves, since that's what I was surrounded by. Very beautiful, as has been said before, but honestly, not better than the views we get around here. Sure, the mountains helped, but the foliage itself was on par.
Sunday we went horseback riding, and I was able to get some lovely pictures along the way, despite the best efforts of my horse, Moe. I'm fairly sure he didn't like me, he kept walking as close as possible to the trees in an effort to brush me off. I think. He also tried to pick fights with the horse in front of me. He'd get really close to him and then I'd reign him back, to which he'd shake his head back and forth, slow down a bit, and then speed up again. He almost got pooped on, but that was no deterrent. The only thing that smartened him up, and scared the crap out of me, was when Cochese turned around and bared his teeth at my horse. No real fight, but there was definite possiblilty. Anyway, at some point my camera got switched off the action man setting, so I ended up getting a lot of shots like this. I blame Moe, he wouldn't hold still at all. It was a good time though, very relaxing. My ass is a bit sore, but I think it was worth it. They wouldn't let me ride this guy because we were all beginners. I was sort of bitter. He was a beauty, big big horse. My cousin and I have decided we're going to buy a horse. Somehow.
We ate out at a fun seafood place on Saturday night, and I ate the better part of my meal before noticing this monstrosity behind me. It's made out of lobster shells, and I think it's super creepy. I moved it so it was looking at Erin instead of me, which was better. I had very tasty, very thick clam chowder, with oyster crackers. Mom said she's going to bring me some of those, because I can't find them here.
A couple of random pictures for you. The 2nd one is from the Olive Garden parking lot. I thought it said "GLMR", but upon closer inspection, it may say "CLMR", which has a different spin I guess. We stopped at Olive Garden for lunch on the way back, and had slow service but delicious food. I so wish they'd build one closer to us here.
Not much else to report really, got to see the family, which is always nice, ate good food, which is great too. Slept on a hideabed, not so much fun there. Tried Smirnoff twisters, which of course are malt beverages and not vodka beverages in the US, but still remarkably tasty. I had orange, raspberry, and cranberry to go with the turkey. I wanted very much to stop at duty free and get myself some booze, and some for Grant's mom, but we went a different way over the border, and the duty free shop is a gas station, and is not labelled as the duty free shop, so we missed it. yarg.
I'm really tired now, I've updated this page and my family's page and cropped and resized a bunch of pictures, so I'm going to eat and nap a bit. a bientot.
How To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity
1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in"
5. Start putting decaf in the coffee maker. Keep this up for 3 weeks. Once everyone has got over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors".
7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation marks
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go".
12. Sing along at the opera.
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your coworkers address you by your nicknames, TootsCorn, Peaches, Queen, Goddess of Sex, Heir Royal Majesty, Dr. Moon, ....
17. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I won!", "I won!" "3rd time this week!!!!!"
18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"
19. Tell your partner over dinner. "due to the economy, I am going to have to let you go."
And ! the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity.......
20. Send this e-mail to everyone in your address book, even if they asked you not to send them stuff like this.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in"
5. Start putting decaf in the coffee maker. Keep this up for 3 weeks. Once everyone has got over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors".
7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation marks
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go".
12. Sing along at the opera.
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your coworkers address you by your nicknames, TootsCorn, Peaches, Queen, Goddess of Sex, Heir Royal Majesty, Dr. Moon, ....
17. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I won!", "I won!" "3rd time this week!!!!!"
18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"
19. Tell your partner over dinner. "due to the economy, I am going to have to let you go."
And ! the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity.......
20. Send this e-mail to everyone in your address book, even if they asked you not to send them stuff like this.
Monday, October 13
home again home again
well, I made it back alive, which is pretty good. I had a nice time with the family in NH, very scenic place, lots of leaf peepers out and about slowing down the rest of us, but for a good cause I suppose. Anyway, I'll tell you all about my adventures with the outlet mall and Moe and Cochese tomorrow, because right now I have to go to bed in my bed which is more than 2 inches thick and not resting on metal rods, thank the lord. Who knew hideabeds were so uncomfortable?
god DAMN, another one of my fish died. They always die when I go away. rrrg.
god DAMN, another one of my fish died. They always die when I go away. rrrg.
Friday, October 10
happy turkey day
in Canada anyway. I don't see how I'll be posting much until I get back Monday night, so until then, have a great weekend and don't eat too much turkey. Or do, whichever.
a bientot.
a bientot.
Thursday, October 9
T-1 day
It's almost the weekend. Thank god. It's a long one too, and I'm so happy. I'm not thrilled at the idea of not spending it with Grant, but he's coming home tonight so I'll get to see him before I go tomorrow. Not much to report here I'm afraid, I got my progress reports finished but still have a pile of marking to get through, which is pretty exciting. I'm going to cook myself some supper sort of early tonight so that I can just sit and work until good tv starts. I may have to watch Survivor tonight though, somebody nearly drowns or soemthing. I'm sure it's actually nothing like that really, but they've got me intrigued. I haven't watched it yet though, so I don't know the people at all. I have no idea what's happening on Friends this week, but ER looks excitng, as usual.
I had to give my 11/12 class today a lesson on cleaning up, since it took me half an hour to clean up after them yesterday. I didn't even clean their garbage, I left that for them since they were back first thing this morning, but I did have to clean the paint pallettes and brushes. They did better today, under threats of never getting to paint again. Lazy bums.
so glad tomorrow's Friday.
I had to give my 11/12 class today a lesson on cleaning up, since it took me half an hour to clean up after them yesterday. I didn't even clean their garbage, I left that for them since they were back first thing this morning, but I did have to clean the paint pallettes and brushes. They did better today, under threats of never getting to paint again. Lazy bums.
so glad tomorrow's Friday.
Wednesday, October 8
new music..
I forgot to tell you. I haven't had a chance to listen to Jack Johnson yet, but the rest of my new cds are terrific, and I'm expecting no less from Jack. John Mayer took once through before I really liked it, but I think that's just because I was so used to his other songs, and couldn't sing along to these ones yet.
Anyway, go buy them.
Anyway, go buy them.
Tuscany
I want to go to Italy. I saw Under the Tuscan Sun, and today there was a travel brochure in the staff room. I want to go! Anywhere, honestly, but Italy looks lovely. Everyone wears linen and speaks with a beautiful accent, and the food and drink look wonderful.
*sigh*
*sigh*
new comments
BlogBack has comments, and since KlinkFamily hasn't been working for a few days now, I'm moving on! Hopefully this guy is a bit more reliable. Sorry this is so short, I have a tonne of stuff to do, progress reports to write up and things to mark. Good times!
Tuesday, October 7
new pictures
I'll try to change them up every now and then. I have a variety of media up there too, you like? Chalk pastel, pastel, photograph, collage, and pencil.
On a completely unrelated note, but it's ok because I'm tired, Dare Simple Pleasures cookies are freaking delicious. I've got sugar cookies and almond cookies, and they're so damn tasty. They also make lemon and chocolate, I'll have to get those next time.
It's getting late, I'm driving this week so I have to get up a bit earlier, hence to bed a bit earlier too. I don't know if I'll make it to East Side this week, sadly. We have to put these progress report things out for all of our students, which is a hassle and a half. I'm not giving marks, because we're doing report cards in a few weeks and it'll be too much work. We have to send a report home Friday for each of our students, letting their parents know how they're doing. Good times. Then we have parent teacher interviews, *then* we give report cards. What? yeah.
Bedtime!
On a completely unrelated note, but it's ok because I'm tired, Dare Simple Pleasures cookies are freaking delicious. I've got sugar cookies and almond cookies, and they're so damn tasty. They also make lemon and chocolate, I'll have to get those next time.
It's getting late, I'm driving this week so I have to get up a bit earlier, hence to bed a bit earlier too. I don't know if I'll make it to East Side this week, sadly. We have to put these progress report things out for all of our students, which is a hassle and a half. I'm not giving marks, because we're doing report cards in a few weeks and it'll be too much work. We have to send a report home Friday for each of our students, letting their parents know how they're doing. Good times. Then we have parent teacher interviews, *then* we give report cards. What? yeah.
Bedtime!
why do you lie?
do you think I'm stupid? I'm not.
Everything my students do goes in their portfolios. Big ol' folders. They know this. I marked my grade 9 portfolios and found that some were missing a lot of stuff, so I told them they need to get their stuff in there so I can mark it. Fine. A few days later, yesterday, one of the girls missing stuff in her folder comes up to me and asks if I got her project. I said no, I didn't check your folder again, is it there? No, she says, I put it on your desk. Now, my desk is not the tidiest thing, but it's in pretty good shape, not very cluttered, and I know what's there and what's not. Her project was not. I said, well, I don't know what to tell you, unless someone came along and swiped it immediately after you put it down, then it has very mysteriously gone missing. I have not seen it. And you know you put everything in your folders, I have been stressing that since day one. She said well what do you want me to do, redo it? I said well it's awfully hard for me to mark something I haven't seen! I left it at that.
Today, I walk by her table, and she's working on this same project. I say hey, you found your project. Interesting. She said oh no, I redid it. I took a piece of paper yesterday and redid it last night. I said really? With the same picture as before? That you said was too difficult and regretted choosing? That's sort of odd, isn't it? She didn't really have an answer for me. I didn't push it, but I will talk to her tomorrow, because the more I think about it the more angry I get that she blatantly lied to me. I just want to let her know that it's very clear she's lying; she wouldn't have chosen that picture again given a choice, and there was no paper out for her to take. So even if she's telling the truth, she got paper from somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. rrg. I assume what she was hoping for was that I would feel so bad for having supposedly lost her project that I would just let it go. But I know I didn't ever have her project, so I'm not going to fall into that trap. Anyway, so then it's easier for her to finish the one she started than do a whole new one. I'm really bitter! I can't outright PROVE that she's lying, but she is, so what do I do?
Teachers of the blogging world, please advise!
Everything my students do goes in their portfolios. Big ol' folders. They know this. I marked my grade 9 portfolios and found that some were missing a lot of stuff, so I told them they need to get their stuff in there so I can mark it. Fine. A few days later, yesterday, one of the girls missing stuff in her folder comes up to me and asks if I got her project. I said no, I didn't check your folder again, is it there? No, she says, I put it on your desk. Now, my desk is not the tidiest thing, but it's in pretty good shape, not very cluttered, and I know what's there and what's not. Her project was not. I said, well, I don't know what to tell you, unless someone came along and swiped it immediately after you put it down, then it has very mysteriously gone missing. I have not seen it. And you know you put everything in your folders, I have been stressing that since day one. She said well what do you want me to do, redo it? I said well it's awfully hard for me to mark something I haven't seen! I left it at that.
Today, I walk by her table, and she's working on this same project. I say hey, you found your project. Interesting. She said oh no, I redid it. I took a piece of paper yesterday and redid it last night. I said really? With the same picture as before? That you said was too difficult and regretted choosing? That's sort of odd, isn't it? She didn't really have an answer for me. I didn't push it, but I will talk to her tomorrow, because the more I think about it the more angry I get that she blatantly lied to me. I just want to let her know that it's very clear she's lying; she wouldn't have chosen that picture again given a choice, and there was no paper out for her to take. So even if she's telling the truth, she got paper from somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. rrg. I assume what she was hoping for was that I would feel so bad for having supposedly lost her project that I would just let it go. But I know I didn't ever have her project, so I'm not going to fall into that trap. Anyway, so then it's easier for her to finish the one she started than do a whole new one. I'm really bitter! I can't outright PROVE that she's lying, but she is, so what do I do?
Teachers of the blogging world, please advise!
Monday, October 6
Punk'd
I have to say, I think Punk'd is really funny. It's great to see famous people look like asses. I also have to say, having just seen Mandy Moore get punked, she seems like a really sweet person. They did a trick on her where she thought they were making over somebody's house (double wide trailer, in fact), but then they dropped an I-beam on it and it collapsed. They then told her that she had given the crane guy the signal to drop the beam, so it was all her fault. The part that impressed me though, was that they're in this fake house, and it's just terrible, but she was being really nice about it, doing a really good job of looking like it was normal that they didn't, for example, have a towel rack, or that there was actually a seam down the middle of the trailer, or that he bought the thing on the internet.
Anyway, I finished my marking of projects, the cats were helping by laying on the projects and chewing on my pencil. I'm going to get back to it though, start on the critiques and artist studies. wish me luck!
Anyway, I finished my marking of projects, the cats were helping by laying on the projects and chewing on my pencil. I'm going to get back to it though, start on the critiques and artist studies. wish me luck!
one MILLION DOLLARS!
I feel the need to express my disappointment in the Trading Spaces 100 Grand episode. As I had feared, it was just a matter of them wasting $50 000 each. Doug did better than Lori, she spent just obscene amounts of money on stupid things that they people probably won't even appreciate. Her first purchase was a chair for $2300. A chair. Not an antique, not a comfy chair, just a stupid chair. And I'm sure people will disagree with me here, but my feeling is that you don't have to buy something just because you can afford it. Jenn agreed with me that they could have created very similar looks with their normal budget. Doug couldn't have, because he bought them all new appliances for the kitchen, but it just was sort of a letdown. Sony gave both homeowners new stuff, a tv and surround sound system for one, and a new computer and tv for the other I believe. I'm jealous, but it was sort of frustrating to see that amount of money spent on making over a room, and not knocking out walls or installing giant aquariums or anything cool like that. Cause that's what I would have done, obviously. A huge aquarium, built in to the wall.
I had a decent day at work today; it was International Teachers' Day, so we all got apples in our mailboxes from the district. I thought that was nice, I love presents, especially the unexpected ones. I had to bring a bunch of marking home. I haven't done any for my grade 11/12 class, and I have a bunch of critiques I have to go over. I see popcorn and hot chocolate in my future, but I'll have to mark the art before the popcorn so I don't get anything greasy. I've gotten some really really really nice stuff from my students, I'll post some pictures whenever I get around to it.
For now though, I'm going to make some supper and hit the marking. Mort just came over and sat on my arms, I'll take that as a sign that I should stop typing now.
I had a decent day at work today; it was International Teachers' Day, so we all got apples in our mailboxes from the district. I thought that was nice, I love presents, especially the unexpected ones. I had to bring a bunch of marking home. I haven't done any for my grade 11/12 class, and I have a bunch of critiques I have to go over. I see popcorn and hot chocolate in my future, but I'll have to mark the art before the popcorn so I don't get anything greasy. I've gotten some really really really nice stuff from my students, I'll post some pictures whenever I get around to it.
For now though, I'm going to make some supper and hit the marking. Mort just came over and sat on my arms, I'll take that as a sign that I should stop typing now.
Saturday, October 4
any other requests?
as per Jenn's request, an only slightly goofy looking vampire smiley guy. 
. Not bad, he looks sort of vicious.
I got some pins so I can hem my curtains, but have decided that I really don't want to do that right now. Or ever, but I'll have to soon because they're hanging over heaters that I want to use, which is why I need to hem them in the first place.
There's some big do across the street at the fire hall, it's an open house and they had a pancake breakfast. They've been running the sirens off and on all day though, and it's getting a bit wearisome. I'm fairly sure they're packing it in now though, so I'll have a bit of peace before I head up to see Grant.
I bought myself some new music for the drive, Future Shop had a bunch of cds on sale, so as promised a few posts back, I bought them. They were all under $15, I got Jack Johnson (I know Erin has it), Sloan, John Mayer (who I'm ashamed to say I didn't even know had a new album out), and Train, because I've been wanting that one for a while. I haven't bought cds for some time, so I don't feel too too bad. I do feel a bit bad though, because I got paid yesterday and didn't see a red cent of it. The beginning of the month brings all kinds of people to my door asking for money....rent, car, insurance, power...cable and phone will arrive shortly, followed quickly by mastercard. Bastards.
I'm going to go have a bite to eat before I head up to Freddy. Did I mention my wisdom tooth is coming in? I can feel it now, it's gross but sort of cool at the same time, I haven't had a new tooth since I was like 12. At any rate, it'll have to be removed because there's no bottom wisdom tooth to meet it and stop it from growing. It's also on a bit of an angle, which would be really cute, I'm sure. I had my other one out (I only ever developed the top 2, not the bottom, and I'm very thankful for that) and it was no trouble. The only problem was that I couldn't take the Tylenol 3s they gave me, they make me ill, so advil had to do me, but I managed. I have baby anbesol or orajel or something now, so I'm all set. It's grape flavoured.
. Not bad, he looks sort of vicious.
I got some pins so I can hem my curtains, but have decided that I really don't want to do that right now. Or ever, but I'll have to soon because they're hanging over heaters that I want to use, which is why I need to hem them in the first place.
There's some big do across the street at the fire hall, it's an open house and they had a pancake breakfast. They've been running the sirens off and on all day though, and it's getting a bit wearisome. I'm fairly sure they're packing it in now though, so I'll have a bit of peace before I head up to see Grant.
I bought myself some new music for the drive, Future Shop had a bunch of cds on sale, so as promised a few posts back, I bought them. They were all under $15, I got Jack Johnson (I know Erin has it), Sloan, John Mayer (who I'm ashamed to say I didn't even know had a new album out), and Train, because I've been wanting that one for a while. I haven't bought cds for some time, so I don't feel too too bad. I do feel a bit bad though, because I got paid yesterday and didn't see a red cent of it. The beginning of the month brings all kinds of people to my door asking for money....rent, car, insurance, power...cable and phone will arrive shortly, followed quickly by mastercard. Bastards.
I'm going to go have a bite to eat before I head up to Freddy. Did I mention my wisdom tooth is coming in? I can feel it now, it's gross but sort of cool at the same time, I haven't had a new tooth since I was like 12. At any rate, it'll have to be removed because there's no bottom wisdom tooth to meet it and stop it from growing. It's also on a bit of an angle, which would be really cute, I'm sure. I had my other one out (I only ever developed the top 2, not the bottom, and I'm very thankful for that) and it was no trouble. The only problem was that I couldn't take the Tylenol 3s they gave me, they make me ill, so advil had to do me, but I managed. I have baby anbesol or orajel or something now, so I'm all set. It's grape flavoured.
Friday, October 3
beefcake.....beefCAKE!
My parents got this slide/negative scanner jobbie, and it's pretty fun. Not especially quick, and especially ram-sucking, but it does work and I'm happy because all of my baby pictures are on slides. So Mom's going through them, and has sent me 2 so far, which I've cleaned up and brightened a bit, and uploaded for your viewing / mocking pleasure. Here is me when I was very little, and sad apparently. Here's a beefcake picture of my dad when he was younger. Nice sideburns eh?
It's the weekend, and thank gad for that. I'm pretty tired. It's really cold here! Especially relative to the temperature it has been lately. It's like all of a sudden it's mid-fall, which is fine, but some transition weather would have been nice. The pumpkins are out at Superstore, I think I'll pick up a couple for my classroom, just for fun. Grant's not coming down this weekend, I'm going to head up tomorrow afternoon for the night. He's not going to be able to come to NH with us, so if I don't see him this weekend it'll be 3 weeks by the time I see him next. No good.
I had a nap for a bit with the cats on the floor when I got home from school today. We have a huge (94") window at one end of the apartment, right when you come in. The kitties were lying there in a big ol' pool of sunshine, looking really comfy and warm, and it was quite cold out, as I mentioned. I just sat down with them for a minute to say hello, but the sun felt so nice that I ended up lying down myself and dozing off. I woke up to find the sun had moved off of me and on to the futon, so I followed suit and snoozed there for a bit longer. The cats thought that was great, they're used to me coming home and plonking down in front of the computer every day. I had one cat lying on my back, and the other on my legs. Good times.
I think I'm going to have myself a khalua and milk and go to bed. I made myself a late but delicious supper tonight, scallops and a creamy bacon carbonara sidekick. Quite tasty. I made too much though, so I'll have gourmet lunch tomorrow. I'm definitely sleeping in, and I may have to put the heat on in the bedroom. Seriously, it's cold here. And I have nobody to cuddle with. (insert crying emoticon here). Ha, speaking of, I spend a good chunk of my evening making new smileys for messenger. I'm such a loser. Check 'em out though!
The crazy looking one is from Calleen, I'm not sure where she found it. The rest are from me, and they're all saveable if you'd like to use them. The last one is intentionally blank, in case you're like me and want to make your own. I'm a geek, what can I say. I love getting pictures and fixing them up, cleaning up scratches and stuff. I could have worse hobbies for sure, so I figure I'm ok. I have to go now though, 11:58 on a Friday night and I'm posting about making my own emoticons. sad!
It's the weekend, and thank gad for that. I'm pretty tired. It's really cold here! Especially relative to the temperature it has been lately. It's like all of a sudden it's mid-fall, which is fine, but some transition weather would have been nice. The pumpkins are out at Superstore, I think I'll pick up a couple for my classroom, just for fun. Grant's not coming down this weekend, I'm going to head up tomorrow afternoon for the night. He's not going to be able to come to NH with us, so if I don't see him this weekend it'll be 3 weeks by the time I see him next. No good.
I had a nap for a bit with the cats on the floor when I got home from school today. We have a huge (94") window at one end of the apartment, right when you come in. The kitties were lying there in a big ol' pool of sunshine, looking really comfy and warm, and it was quite cold out, as I mentioned. I just sat down with them for a minute to say hello, but the sun felt so nice that I ended up lying down myself and dozing off. I woke up to find the sun had moved off of me and on to the futon, so I followed suit and snoozed there for a bit longer. The cats thought that was great, they're used to me coming home and plonking down in front of the computer every day. I had one cat lying on my back, and the other on my legs. Good times.
I think I'm going to have myself a khalua and milk and go to bed. I made myself a late but delicious supper tonight, scallops and a creamy bacon carbonara sidekick. Quite tasty. I made too much though, so I'll have gourmet lunch tomorrow. I'm definitely sleeping in, and I may have to put the heat on in the bedroom. Seriously, it's cold here. And I have nobody to cuddle with. (insert crying emoticon here). Ha, speaking of, I spend a good chunk of my evening making new smileys for messenger. I'm such a loser. Check 'em out though!
The crazy looking one is from Calleen, I'm not sure where she found it. The rest are from me, and they're all saveable if you'd like to use them. The last one is intentionally blank, in case you're like me and want to make your own. I'm a geek, what can I say. I love getting pictures and fixing them up, cleaning up scratches and stuff. I could have worse hobbies for sure, so I figure I'm ok. I have to go now though, 11:58 on a Friday night and I'm posting about making my own emoticons. sad!
Thursday, October 2
manage your what now?
apparently, "when the system is functioning properly", (which apparently it has not yet been) the posts are saved in the 'manage your posts' section, which I'm guessing is the bottom half of the screen in 'edit your blog'. So that's good to know, but not especially helpful since it hasn't worked yet.
I'm going to redo what I did yesterday, to an extent. I mentioned Underworld; Jenn and I went to see it and it was surprisingly good. I hadn't head much about it, so didn't really know what to expect. We really just wanted popcorn, and other than Cold Creek Manor, which Grant wants to see, there was nothing playing. I watched the trailer for Underworld and it looked really bad, but I was hoping it would be so bad it's good. So we went, early, and ended up at Reitman's where they had sweaters galore on sale, and then sat in the theatre long enough to need popcorn refills. We also got to harass the cute but 15 year old popcorn guy, which was fun. But yeah, the movie was good. I definitely want to be a vampire though, as Jenn said, Kate Beckinsale sure knows how to make an entrance. Clad entirely in leather, hair and clothing flowing behind her, very sexy. The werewolves, or lichen as they were called in the movie, aren't nearly as hot. They're just big and scary, and the transformation looked really painful. Scott Speedman is cute though.
I drove to Tatamagouche yesterday to check the cottage, and all is well. One little dead tree fell over, but its only use was holding up an old clothesline anyway, so it's not a tragic loss. There's no power but everything else seems fine; none of the lines in our immediate vicinity are down so it must be a bigger line somewhere a bit further away. The drive wasn't bad, the part I was most upset about was the fact that the little bakery down the road from the cottage had closed by the time I arrived, so no cinnamon bubble for me. Probably for the best.
Speaking of no cinnamon bubble, I bought 2 new pairs of cords today. Mark's Work Wearhouse had a Ladies' Night sale, where a lot of things were on sale, and then everything we bought was an extra 20% off of the lowest price. nice eh? Anyway, so yeah, 2 new pairs of pants, size 32. I'm pretty stoked, they might just be made big, but that's smaller than what I usually buy. I bought what I *swear* are my last new sweaters Tuesday at Reitman's, and am now in the process of cleaning out my closet, because I have a lot of clothes. I've recently accepted the fact that bulky sweaters do nothing for me, so I'm getting rid of a couple of those. Not my heavy wool ones though, those things rock and aren't supposed to fit snugly. I have 4 sweaters that belong to Erin, which she'll be getting back this weekend to do with what she pleases, and one that my mom gave to me that she'll be getting back next weekend when we go to New Hampshire for thanksgiving.
Anyway, I'm only able to half watch CSI when I'm blogging, so I have to get going. Hopefully this thing posts and doesn't save in la la land on me again.
I'm going to redo what I did yesterday, to an extent. I mentioned Underworld; Jenn and I went to see it and it was surprisingly good. I hadn't head much about it, so didn't really know what to expect. We really just wanted popcorn, and other than Cold Creek Manor, which Grant wants to see, there was nothing playing. I watched the trailer for Underworld and it looked really bad, but I was hoping it would be so bad it's good. So we went, early, and ended up at Reitman's where they had sweaters galore on sale, and then sat in the theatre long enough to need popcorn refills. We also got to harass the cute but 15 year old popcorn guy, which was fun. But yeah, the movie was good. I definitely want to be a vampire though, as Jenn said, Kate Beckinsale sure knows how to make an entrance. Clad entirely in leather, hair and clothing flowing behind her, very sexy. The werewolves, or lichen as they were called in the movie, aren't nearly as hot. They're just big and scary, and the transformation looked really painful. Scott Speedman is cute though.
I drove to Tatamagouche yesterday to check the cottage, and all is well. One little dead tree fell over, but its only use was holding up an old clothesline anyway, so it's not a tragic loss. There's no power but everything else seems fine; none of the lines in our immediate vicinity are down so it must be a bigger line somewhere a bit further away. The drive wasn't bad, the part I was most upset about was the fact that the little bakery down the road from the cottage had closed by the time I arrived, so no cinnamon bubble for me. Probably for the best.
Speaking of no cinnamon bubble, I bought 2 new pairs of cords today. Mark's Work Wearhouse had a Ladies' Night sale, where a lot of things were on sale, and then everything we bought was an extra 20% off of the lowest price. nice eh? Anyway, so yeah, 2 new pairs of pants, size 32. I'm pretty stoked, they might just be made big, but that's smaller than what I usually buy. I bought what I *swear* are my last new sweaters Tuesday at Reitman's, and am now in the process of cleaning out my closet, because I have a lot of clothes. I've recently accepted the fact that bulky sweaters do nothing for me, so I'm getting rid of a couple of those. Not my heavy wool ones though, those things rock and aren't supposed to fit snugly. I have 4 sweaters that belong to Erin, which she'll be getting back this weekend to do with what she pleases, and one that my mom gave to me that she'll be getting back next weekend when we go to New Hampshire for thanksgiving.
Anyway, I'm only able to half watch CSI when I'm blogging, so I have to get going. Hopefully this thing posts and doesn't save in la la land on me again.
Wednesday, October 1
*where* does it save the posts?
god damn. I had this huge post, of course, and then was trying to link to the site for Underworld, which I'm not going to do now cause that's what caused this whole mess, and clicked it in the history accidentally while trying to read the address, and then blogger comes up (I'm frantically hitting "stop" but to no avail) and asks me if I'd like to save this post or leave without saving. I say, of course, save. Fine. Where the hell does it save TO? Not on my server, not on my computer, I'm sad.
I'm going to go watch Ed.
I'm going to go watch Ed.
an open letter to recording artists
Ok, so here's the thing. Selling albums can be quite simple, if you follow a few basic rules. Firstly, make your singles representative of the rest of your cd. Do not release a pop song if the rest of it is heavy, or vice versa, and if the whole thing sucks, just don't even bother. Secondly, you're not fooling anyone trying to sell those things for $20. Try $12-15, you'll have much better luck. We all know they cost about a penny to produce; if you're greedy, people are just going to download your album instead of purchasing it. Third and finally, putting Britney Spears on tv, all sad that she's losing money...actually makes me want to rip you off. Even if I don't like your music. Ok?
Simple.
Simple.