Beat Up This Week, CMC, and Julian

Monday, October 20, 2014
Well, I took a non-duty day on Monday to work on my PhD and take Husky to the vet.  Today is the day that she gets spayed and declawed.  She had to be there at 8:00 am so I got up early this morning to do some laundry and clean a little before she went to the vet.  I took her at 7:45 am but ended up not leaving until 8:15 am.  The vet was late and he wants to talk with you before you leave your pet for surgery.    So, I got back to the apartment about 8:30 am.

I thought I would have some information back for my PhD and I would be ready to go but it did not work that way - I got a little side-tracked.  I have a presentation to do on Saturday, October 25th at the California Math Conference and since the new Texas Instruments System update, I have been struggling with a few of the upgrades and forgot how to use one of the sensors.  So this morning I worked on that for awhile rather than the PhD.  I had a phone call with my friend Jeff Lukens who helped me work through my TI issue and be ready for Saturday!    Hooray!!!

I got a call around 12:00 pm that Husky was out of surgery and doing well.  They invited me to come and see her so I went about 3:00 pm to see how she was doing and give her a hug.  She looks so pathetic but she is very much awake and alert, more than the other cats that I have had put under for surgeries.

She has her little legs all bandaged up so she cannot chew on her claws and the red bandage on the back is the IV port for her so they can give her meds without poking her more.  She was so sweet and sat in my arms but you can tell she really wants to play and be up and moving around.  I will not be able to get her until Wednesday!  Soooo….Squeak will probably enjoy the time as a single kitty.

On Saturday, I could not get into my mailbox so I had to go over to the apartment office and let them know something was wrong.  They said they would have someone look at it and call me.  Well they called me late Saturday and I was gone so I had to go back over on Monday to pick up my new key and find out what was going on.  I was over there for about 30 minutes as well.  By the time I turned in the other key, signed for the new key, had polite conversation, checked my box and reported back that all was well more time had gone by.  I made it back to the apartment and sent some emails to my committee chair and got my items together and low and behold, before I knew it I looked at the clock and it was 10:50.  I looked over chapter 4 some but decided that I could not really do too much with it until I got feedback from my committee chair on chapter 3 so I packed up a few items and went to get my nails done while I read over my work.  I know it is not a great use of my time but it was time for them to get done and I was so frustrated about not getting anywhere else that I just needed a break.  I then ran to the store to get groceries for the week since I was not around this past weekend and made  breakfast for the week.  I have been making egg minis that can be warmed up in the microwave in the mornings with vegetables in them.  I tried to make them with some egg whites today – not sure how this is going to turn out. I probably need less egg whites and more egg.  I did not get everything done that I wanted to get done today.  However, I think that is life!!  I worked and worked and worked but it just did not get done.  Every time I went to do something there was a 20 minute lag time or prep time or something would not work to get to where I needed to be.  I am hoping this is not an indication of how this week is going to go and is just what happened today!!!


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Today I was at work until 9:00 am and then I had to go to Illuminate training.  This is the program Riverside Unified School District is using for a student management system to be able to run reports and find out information about students.  The training was a review of what I already knew and they did start working on learning how to run reports but not until 2:00 pm and I have to leave by 2:15 pm to get back to school for a 504 meeting.  Since I was gone on Monday and Tuesday I felt very far behind and ended up staying pretty late at school to get things completed.  This involved moving more equipment around and just basically running reports for information and sending emails.

I also stayed to see the Choir Concert on Tuesday night.  This is the first performance for the new choir director.  He has done a fabulous job with the students and this concert featured all the students that are in Chorus.  The students did a fabulous job coming in and off stage and these are students that many did not want to be in the class.  Mr. Kociela has done a fabulous job of singing contemporary music and getting students interested!!

Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23
Today was another odd day.  I went to school and was there until 8:45 am and then left to go to the Bullying Conference at the Riverside Convention Center.  I would love to say that I learned a lot and it was informative but I have to say I really away fairly despondent about the idea of Bullying.  Basically, students start as early as 3rd grade and in 6th grade it is the worst.  However, it might be worse in high school but more students are just not reporting that bullying is occurring so it only looks like it is decreasing.  They also pointed out the research says that peer mediation does not work because the kids do not know enough about how to handle situations.  Pulling the bully's together for interventions do not work because it pulls all the socially adept students together and puts them on a stage to make them more popular.  Creating a group for the targets does not work because it singles out the students and identifies them as weak therefore everyone sees who is socially weak.  The only thing they really told us was the effects of bullying are decreased when students have one good friend they can trust and talk with and an adult who will listen but may not try to solve the problem.  When we broke for lunch, I had not good answers and only more questions!!!

I had to pick Husky up today so I left the conference early to go and get her.  If I don't leave work by 4:00 pm I get stuck in traffic so I stay until 6:00 pm so I can just get home.  Since the vet closes at 6:00 pm, I left early enough to get her.

I also got to spend some time with a friend who has a different schedule than me on Wednesday afternoon which was a special treat for me.  Since I work suck crazy hours and long hours it is hard sometimes to fit everything in because my schedule does not always line up with other schedules.  It was a very nice afternoon and I am excited I had a few hours of downtime to just relax.

While I have not been on campus this week much I am hearing that teachers are upset and the union is getting involved.  As many of you know who read my blog, this is my worst nightmare mainly because I have no experience with Unions.  Yes, I know that at some point I need to have experience and better now than later but I feel like I get blind-sighted with these issues.  I really thought and honestly believed that all was well and we were moving forward with the school and district initiatives and then all of a sudden WHAM!!!!  Nothing that is happening on campus is bad for students and yes, we are busy, but we are all busy!  On top of that to be perfectly honest, there is about 165 minutes a week that teachers should be on campus and due to how we interpreted the contract and set up expectations, we expected the teachers would use the 165 minutes but now it looks like they are not using it effectively and therefore they are complaining their plates are full.  I am sympathetic.  I really am!!  I remember having to find time here and there, on the weekend and summer to get stuff done because it is what is best for kids, the department and the curriculum.  I just have a hard time when you don't look for a solution and jump ahead of the hierarchy of problems solving.

Friday, October 24, 2014
Today was the first day this week I was on campus all day and while I loved it, it was a hard day for me.  Today was one of those days where I say six students that I have been working closely with over the last year.  All of them have tough home lives and are struggling to graduate or even do well in school.  It is hard to hear all the struggles these students face.  I know the greatest gift I can give them is a listening ear, a sounding board and help them to develop skills in order to create goals and strategies to be successful.

The girls Volleyball Team won again this afternoon which is FABULOUS!! They are doing awesome.  I then ate dinner with Ali and her son on the way to the Football game at Valley View in which the team won.  This is great because they have not had a great season and getting some wins in is phenomenal for the boys.  It was great to get to see them play and win.  After this event, I took off driving to Palm Springs in order to spend the night with Liz so I could present with her at the CMC conference on Saturday morning.  We stayed at The Saguaro which is an old hotel with a colorful twist on modernization.  I got there around 10:30 pm and ended up crashing pretty hard!!

Saturday, October 25, 2014
Liz and I presented this morning and it seemed to go pretty well.  It was a little hard to get started but we were able to move forward even with the LCD projector cutting off twice and a new one having to be brought in.  We have about 14 participants in our session and everyone seemed very interested in the topic!  Jeff and Kelli were there to be supportive and helpful as well so it was great to see some friendly faces in the crowd.  After that presentation, I went to the exhibit hall to work in the booth for TI.  I had a session to do there as well.  It was great to get to talk with Cat, Kelly, Vince, Katie, Rick and everyone else.  I enjoy being around the TI people so much!!!   I also met Kara from RUSD for yogurt that afternoon and it was great to catch up with her and just relax.  We walked around Palm Springs rather than drive so it was interesting to see some of the stores and people that were around.

I met up with Cat, Jeff, Allison, Kelli, Rick and Jennifer that night for dinner. We took the AirTram up to the top of the San Jacinto mountain and ate dinner at The Peaks restaurant.  It was a great ride, dinner and conversation with great friends!  It is always good to see all of them and talk about what is going on in our lives.

I got home from Palm Springs around 10:30 on Saturday night and after being up since 6:00 am, I was exhausted and ready to sleep!  I unpacked a few items but ended up crashing rather quickly!

Sunday, October 26, 2014
This morning started at 7:00 am with a shower, laundry and getting ready to leave for Julian, CA with friends.  Julian was a gold mining town and when the gold ran out it became an area for apples and pears to be grown.  Now it is a tourist town that reminds me of Ashville, NC with a lot of small shops and places to eat.  We ate lunch at a place called Romano's and it was YUMMY!!!   I had mushroom ravioli and it was some of the best I have ever had.  I would love to go back and eat there again.

Lunch was so good that it was hard to save room for apple pie so we ended up getting some to take home.  I hope to go back sometime soon and get a apple dumpling!!!  I mean, how could you refuse one of these cute little apples!!!

It was a busy weekend and while I got a lot done with friends, I did not get much done around the apartment.  However, I did not do anything really for work and it was nice to have a break for the weekend.  I know that I will "pay" for it this week, but it was worth it!

Struggling This Week to End on a Good Note

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Well I have to say I am feeling very odd this week.  I am not sure what the word is but I think melancholy comes to mind.  I can't say that anything major happened.  It has been a typical week with lots of activity.

I had a dentist appointment on Monday, October 13 and while it is not my dentist from South Carolina, it should not matter because George Levkoff had retired so it is not like that was bothersome. Now I really do not like going to the dentist, not because it hurts or anything but the sound of when they scrap your teeth for tarter is like fingernails on the chalkboard to me and it drives me a little nuts.  I made it through the cleaning and went on to work with no incidents.  I walked into work on Monday to the admin meeting which lasted all morning and even after lunch.  That was followed immediately by an Academy meeting and then yet another meeting about the future of other programs at the school and classes to be added, deleted or changed.    On Monday night the BFAW's got together for dinner at the Mission Inn and the company was fabulous!  I know that all of us are tired and many of us are doing new jobs so we are all tired and are not sure where to start at times so it is even more important that we spend time together and share what we know.

Tuesday, October 14 brought with it some discipline for me to do and help catch up on from the office.  I know that we have all been busy and the discipline has been piling up so I wanted to make sure that I could help.  I was able to call in some students that I have a relationship with from last year and work with them some in hoes to change their behavior.  We will see how it goes.  As of Thursday, I am hearing that it has made some difference from the teacher's point of view.    Tuesday I stayed late at work to get a lot of the little tasks done that needed to be taken care of and emails complete.  I have several things on my "To Do" list that need to be worked on and it will get done but it is a matter of when so I needed to get some of that taken care of.

Wednesday, October 15 was the PSAT that happened with all 10th graders at North.  I am lucky enough to work with some wonderful guidance staff and Relondo Flores took care of the entire test.  I know that Jaque and Alison helped him a lot but I was so proud of him for taking this under his wing and completing the tasks at hand!!  Thank you Relondo!!!  The day was just busy and every time I turned around there seemed to be another person who needed to ask me a question, have a meeting or let me know about another situation.   Last year, the RUSD Union allowed teachers to vote to remove the Advisory Program from the high school.  Now, a few years earlier the teachers voted to have it put in and stated hey did not remember voting and it was admin who had it put it.  However, this was on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) so it was something the teachers agreed to.  Well, we are having some issues with the MYP requirements and Data Teams.  So, some of the teachers seem to think we might need to vote on this.  However, the difference is this is not an MOU.  MYP is a district and school initiative.  Data Teams is a school initiative that many schools in the district are doing.  It has been interesting to hear about this process and see how individuals interact.  Remember, SC teachers are not unionized so this is all new to me.  I am learning a lot and while I have always been open minded and ready to work, some of the items some teachers are concerned about baffle me and I don't feel like they are union issues.  But hey, what do I know, I am learning about the contract and all the parts to it.  All day today my office was a revolving door of meetings between kids and adults.   Some of the items have been coming down the road for 5-10 years now and North is just late in its implementation in some cases.    Wednesday was a long day and fairly hard in the evening after teaching Zumba and moving around equipment.  I got home and crashed right away to try and get a lot of sleep.  However, I am eating poorly and not getting the sleep that I need and it might be starting to take affect because I had a huge headache and have been forgetting to make a few phone calls.  LOL!!!    I did not finish any task I started today and therefore was there until about 9:30 pm.

Thursday brought with it another late night and one that I am frustrated with.  I was suppose to be off campus today but when I got to work, I found out that Aeries ABI, the teacher attendance and grading system was down.  I ended up working on that until about 8:30 am, after the presentation I was supposed to be at started.  After Aeries was working again, I decided to stay at school and called the group I was supposed to be with.  There were several administrators on and off campus today and since today was the great Shake Out, which is the earthquake drill the entire state did, I felt like I should have stayed.  We did a full evacuation outside but without the set up of the materials.  Today was a little slower since I was not supposed to be at school and therefore I used the time to get caught up on items. However, in the afternoon it was one thing after another so I did not leave until late.  I had a planning meeting with Liz about our presentation on Saturday, October 25.  This presentation is using math and science together with TI equipment.  Now, I updated the computer and calculators this past Sunday with the new operating system and now I cannot get the Gas Pressure sensor to work correctly.  I am not sure if it is me or the equipment but I have done this experiment several times without any problems but all of a sudden it is not working which has me a little worried since the presentation is next week.  I have contacted a few of my TI friends to see if the changes they have made are affecting the gas pressure sensor and / or calculator.  I had to call my friend Jeff and see if I could get some help but I am still waiting to see what he thinks is going on with it.  I tried the hard reset like he suggested but that did not really help me at all.  It just continued to do the same thing - it will not record a single data point!!!

I just feel like I am at a point where I am ineffective at work and it bothers me right now.  I know that I am making progress but this week has been difficult.  I don't miss SC and the weather and I do love my job and CA.  However,  I do miss my friends in SC that I talk to and did things with a lot of the time.   Ali and I are going to Disney this weekend and I am taking off Monday, October 20th and was looking forward to doing something fun and working on my PhD in the afternoon or vice versa.  Hopefully this will help some of this melancholy feeling that I am having right now.


Sunday, October 19, 2014
Wow, Friday was busy, busy, busy and I want to know where the day went.  While we were on Assembly schedule the day went by too quick.  Probably because I was dealing with a few issues that took up more time than I thought it would.  However, one of the highlights of the morning was the cheerleaders who finished their dance that I have been watching come together over the past 6 weeks.  The cheerleaders have been practicing in the MPR as we get ready to start Zumba so we have seen pieces and parts of the dance and Friday was the first time I saw it all put together!

At the Assembly

Theater Teacher - Extraordinaire!!!!!

This was a busy but fun weekend for me.  Friday night I went to the play at school called Proposals (directed by the wonderful teacher in the picture above) and it was really fun and fabulous.  The kids did a fantastic job.  It was a long play with only about 9 main characters but the kids did a fabulous job!!

After the Assembly the guidance counselors had students they were calling in for conferences on CELDT.  I also had the opportunity to work with a student that I dearly adore as we planned what to do with him over the next few weeks due to some home issues and behavior at school.

Guidance Counselors Rocking it with CELDT Conferences

I was also able to see some great teaching this week.  I have a science teacher doing work with Chromebooks on enzymes as seen below and another talking about precision and accuracy with her students.  She is trying to get student to remember the difference between the two terms and used some really great examples to demonstrate the vocabulary.

Chromebooks in Action 

Precision and Accuracy Lab

Here we go with dough balls!!!

I did not make it to the Football game on Friday night because I covered the Fall Theater Production.  However, the band director was kind enough to send me a picture of the band!!  Do you see him!!!!!  He is there twice!!!  Pete has had a rough few weeks since the big storm the second week of school and has had to be out of the band room for renovations due to water damage.  They are back in now but he is still having to clean up a lot of items and the kids are helping.

Do you see Pete Jackson????  2x???

On Saturday morning I ate at IHOP for the first time since I have been in CA.  I met a friend in San Marcos for breakfast and it was a much needed breakfast and time to decompress and get to see someone who is not going to ask me questions about work other than how it is going.  I don't have to explain a strategic plan or be on my "p's" and "q's" wondering if there is another reason someone is asking me a question.  It was nice to be able to share and not worry if I was going to hurt any one's feelings or say something offensive that will get back to someone at the school.  Sometimes you just need some downtime!!!!

After breakfast I met up with Ali for our Girls Weekend in Disneyland!!!  We had a great time and it was wonderful to just be at Disney with no stress.  We got to Disneyland and checked into our hotel about 12:00 pm.  Our room was not ready but we dropped out items off with bell services and went to the parks.  Ali and I spent time watching side shows, characters and people watching.  Notice we have Peter Pan and Mad Hatter in the background.

We ate dinner at The Wine Country restaurant and got passes for preferential seating for World of Color, which is one of the reasons we were at Disneyland.  I wanted to see the show, I have not seen it since 2009 so this was a great way to use our time.  While you would think that we would get bored, it was fun to be there without kids in tow and hang out doing adult things and just sitting.  We were able to drink a glass of wine, sit and relax with some fabulous food and take our time.  After dinner, we did hit Space Mountain because it supposedly has been "Halloweened" up with some scary things.  I have to tell you that while they did put in some ghoulish things it was not bad.  It was like the little dude from Tales From The Crypt was coming out of the ceiling but it was not really that bad.  It reminded me of something from Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel in the last seasons when they were trying to do some scary things.  It was neat to see but not scary.   We did get into the hotel room and low and behold we were on the 11th floor overlooking Disneyland.  On this floor there are several special suites and no, we were not in one.  Here are pictures of our room thought and the special suite names.

Overlooking Disneyland out the Window

Fresh Flowers in the Room - Yes, they are real.

Two sinks and a big tub!

Headboard of the beds - Do you see the hidden Mickey?

There was also a Fairy Tale Suite but my picture did not come out of that one.  However, on Sunday morning they were cleaning the room and the housekeeper let us in to see the room.  It is gorgeous!!!!  My pictures did not all come out but it is a corner room that is glassed in so that you can see all around Disney.  On the wall is this picture.  Notice Belle in the yellow dress in the middle!!

Picture on Wall

Tile Picture over the Garden Tub 

Figurine in the Wall - there was one of Belle and the Beast also and the Flower but the pictures did not come out.

We asked if we could get into the Mickey Penthouse to take a look around but the people had not checked out yet so we could not get in to see what it looked like.  You can look online but I think the rooms are smaller than what the pictures appear them to be.

On Sunday morning we got up and at 6:00 am and hit the water rides at 7:00 am for magic morning hours, which we got to take advantage of and used it well.  We hit Toy Story, Screaming, Soaring, Roaring Rapids, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion and ate breakfast at the Belle Terrace all by 9:30 am.

We went back to the hotel to check out by 11:00 am and then met Christy and her son Thunder in the park at Tower of Terror which we rode together and then headed to Disneyland where we went on Tom Sawyer's island and played Hide and Seek in teams.

Yes, you read that correctly, I played Hide and Seek in Disneyland on Tom Sawyer's island and we had a blast!!!  We ate late lunch at the Golden Horseshoe and watched the "play" which was hilarious.

The play was about a town that was putting on a play and the mayor's daughter wanted to be the lead but the mayor's daughter is an extremely unattractive young lady.  The group did a great job and it was really funny.  We even had Ice Cream Nachos that we all shared at the play also.

Ice Cream Nachos

Ali and I went to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and then it was time to head home.  :(  We had so much fun.  We downloaded a Hidden Mickey App and Disney Trivia to play while we were in lines and it was fun to try and find out where all the Mickey's are and answer the questions about various aspects of the Disney Empire including history, movies, locations and such.  It was a much needed Girl's weekend and I am lucky that Ali was there to join me and we met Christy and Thunder there!!!  We had a blast!!!

I was even able to find something with Pete's Dragon on it for Jamie.  It was only a pencil but look there is Elliot!!  Don't worry Jamie, I put it in the mail!  It is on its way to you!!!

Looking forward to a great week!!!!  Hope it happens!!!

A Busy Week

Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Well……lots of crazy things going on recently.  I think it is the full moon.  Anyone else have that problem????    I have been having a hard time sleeping or should I say, getting enough sleep.  I am not sure if it is a situation where I need a new mattress or if it is just me being restless.  It seems like as soon as I go to sleep it is time to get up and get going already and I am tired.  Of course this is typically the the of the year this happens.  The "jaunt" between Labor Day and Veteran's Day is a huge amount of time with no days off.  

John W. North High School completed our Middle Years Program (MYP) authorization visit today on October 6th and 7th, 2014.  This is something the school has been preparing for over the past four years and is a great honor for us.  By attaining this authorization, it helps to strengthen our Diploma Program and draw in more students who are looking for a more global education.   Christy, the MYP Coordinator, has been working so hard over the past two years that I have been here to guide the school and make sure we are on the right track.  She has been doing a great job with the unit planning and reflections as well as all the paperwork to be ready for the visit.   The visiting team left and while they have 90 days to create the report and let us know if we are going to have full authorization.  We had an exit meeting at the end of the visit and I think we will get recommendations that we have a few months to fix and then they will provide us authorization, but it is going to happen.

The weather here is acting a little nutty.  It was cool at the end of last week, hot this weekend and it is now hot during the day but cooling off in the evening.  To be honest, I would like it to just get cool so I can leave the windows open.  I love the fresh air but I worry about leaving the windows open with the cats and it not being cool outside right now.  I think Squeak has decided to adjust to the new kitty.  She is sleeping on the bed and sitting next to me now on the couch as well as letting Husky hang around.  But I have to say - Husky has got to get her claws out because my skin is feeling the effects of playing with her.  I have little scratches all over my hands and arms.  They are not deep but just irritating and uncomfortable, like paper cuts.    It is on my list to call and see when I can actually have her fixed and declawed.  Yes, while I know some people would call it mean, it will save my skin and furniture.


Friday, October 10, 2014
Ummm….. I did not think Friday would ever get here!!!!  It has been a long week where I have been around at school fairly late again this week even though I was attempting to get home early this week.  Note: Epic Fail!!!  I did not get home early at all.  There has not been any one thing that has happened, just overall long days with lots of things that had to be done and lots of meetings that were unexpected. Whenever I was trying to get to something, something else would come up and it would change the course of the day.  Well, I would say that is the life of an Assistant Principal.

Last night I did not get much sleep and I had to get up early to get doughnuts for school today.  I got a huge latte this morning to try and stay awake.  Then I had to get 24 doughnuts for the PSAT training of teachers and then 40 doughnuts for the No Tardy / All ID party today.  I dropped everything off at school and then was off to my all morning district meeting.  Now most of you know that I don't sit still long!  We were in this meeting from 7:30 am - 11:50 am and I had 20 oz of caffeine.  This is not a good combination for me.  I could not stop moving around and found everything interesting.  It was like a 12 year old with ADD!!!!  Needless to say it was not good.  I think the caffeine started to wear off about 10:45 am and I started to settle down.

After the meeting I made it back to school in order to be there for lunch duty.  However, I wanted to go and do some classroom mosaic observations this afternoon and never made it there.  I had two students who needed to talk with me and then had a meeting with a teacher at the school.  By the time that was done the bell had rung and it was time to supervise kids after school.

I did call to talk to Amanda in South Carolina today.  I miss my teacher friends in South Carolina so much but am so happy they are doing well and keeping traditions as well as staying the course the way they need to.  Kelly is pregnant, Amanda is working on a STEM grant, Jonathan is doing well and so many of the department are teaching four classes rather than three.  It makes me so happy to hear all the work that has gone into pushing science in the district is coming to fruition.  It took time but it is great to hear about so many of the initiatives we worked on in the science department are still in place and being strengthened.  I have to tell you I teared up after being on the phone with Amanda - knowing I miss everyone but love things here also.  It was then off to the Volleyball game tonight.  Football was away this week so Mike told me to stay for the game and then go home, not to bother coming to the football game.  I ended up at work today until about 8:00 pm in order to get everything done to be ready for Monday and not have to go to work this weekend.

So I am working on washing shirts from school for dress code, getting ready for the Color Run tomorrow and cleaning up around the apartment.  The kitties are both sitting with me.  Squeak is tolerating Husky and lets her sit on the couch and bed.  She is still only hissing when she thinks I am watching.  This evening Squeak is on the left and watching Husky play.  Husky gets up and plays for about 15 minutes and then comes and sits for a bit.  The funny thing is that she will sit with me for about 10 minutes then she literally climbs up my shirt and cuddles around my neck then goes and plays again.  She did the cutest two things tonight.  1) She is trying to climb in the trash can but is not long enough so she is hanging on the side of the trash can.  There really is nothing in there she needs to eat anyway - just vegetables.  In fact, carrots and Squeak does not even eat carrots.   2) She gave me kisses on my cheek for the first time also.  She climb up on my shirt and and just licked the side of my face about 12 times and then got down and sat by my side.  She really is a sweet cat for such a rough beginning of her life.  Squeak's coat is looking really shiny and smooth.  I have been putting lysine powder on her food to help her "kitty eye issues," as recommended by her new vet.  It has really improved the softness and shininess of her fur.

I am packed and ready for the Color Run tomorrow in San Diego.  I have learned from my first Color Run in Columbia and have my items in plastic bags for my bag.  I have a bag for my phone and I have a change of clothes and a towel to sit on for the way home.  Last time we did this I ended up with color all over me.  It was in my ears so much that I felt like I was taking yellow and blue out of my ears for about a week.  Tomorrow the run is at the Qualcomm stadium so we will see how it goes.  Apparently the route is around the stadium but not even the entire way around.  It should be interesting…..we will see….  Regardless, we are leaving the Temecula area at 5:30 am.  I am hoping that I am not the one driving!!!!!  I might need to do more sleeping.  :)


Saturday, October 11, 2014
The Color Run came early today.  At 4:30 am I was up and ready to go.  I made it to Temecula and met up with friends to go to the Qualcomm Stadium for the event.  I have to say that I tried to sleep during the ride down to the event so that I could have more than just 4 hours of sleep.  It did not work, I did not get much of a nap on the way.  Due to my lack of sleep, I definitely was not at peppy as I normally am during the day.  We got checked in and got in line at the chute.

Starting Line at The Color Run in San Diego

Believe it or not, we were in the first group that was started at 8:05 am.  It took an hour with all the people in the way to make it to the end with running and walking at different times.  I think we ran about half of the 5K all together.  It was fun and there was a lot of different people around.  This time the colors went Blue --> Yellow --> Pink --> Purple.  By the end I have to say that I had it all over my clothes and shoes.  This time the people throwing the color did a really good job of not throwing it at our faces so therefore it was not in our mouths and hair like it was when I participated in Columbia.  As we were finishing, there was still more groups starting but it was nice to be in the first group and be done.  I have to say that we did not get many after pictures for the simple fact that it is hard to have your phone our when you are covered with colored corn starch.  Upon arriving at the car, we all changed clothes in the parking lot, which was an interesting event in itself.

Before

After

We headed back to Temecula but decided to eat at a place called The Home Cafe in San Marcos.  While it was really good, the owner was a little odd and kept coming by and asking us questions.  He had some argument with the bus boy and caused a scene so it was a little tense for a bit.  However, the food was really good.  We went to visit Brianne's boyfriend to drop off a few things and headed back to Temecula.

When I got home, the first thing I did was head for the shower to get off all the corn starch.  After a bit it feels grainy and you just feel completely dirty.  By the time I got to the shower, I did not seem to have as much on me as the first color run but I think that was because it was not in my hair and ears this time, which was nice.  I spent the rest of the afternoon on a soccer field to watch Kennedy play a game and then headed to the mall to get my watches fixed and to run to Loft to see what they had on sale.  I ended up with two skirts for work and a pair of jeans for the winter.  Ummm, what winter.  LOL!!!  It has not been cold here yet.  I have had the windows open for a week now because it is starting to cool off but I am a little excited about it getting cooler, it makes for good hiking weather.  :)

September 29th, 2014 - It's a Balancing Act

Monday, September 29, 2014
Well on the way to work this morning I realized how exhausted I really was.  I had not even gotten started and I was already tired.  I am completely exhausted and am not sure really how to recover unless we talk about a week off at Thanksgiving where I do nothing but sleep.  I can't do that because the PhD has to get done so I guess I am going to be tired a little longer.

Today was eventfully uneventful which is a good thing.  I had time to get my tasks done and meet with some students.  I still have some work to do to be ready for Wednesday and I feel like I am missing something because I felt slightly caught up today and that NEVER happens.  Today was the due date for waivers and we only have five now that a student withdrew from North.  One of our students in Spanish 1 left, which was good, it brought us down to no empty seats in the class which is good.  One of the reasons I have been so exhausted today is because of having to get waivers signed by teachers today for being over in classes.  I have been told that our World Language teachers and our ELA teachers refuse to sign waivers as a department.  Here is my issue with that.  I get that your department does not want to sign a waiver for 10 sections of one class that has two students in it because that would be 20 students which would be another class.  However, when we are talking about one section of one class that has two extra kids, I don't understand why you would not sign a wavier.   We cannot afford a whole new class for 2 kids.  I realize you could ask, "Where is the line?  When is too many, too many?"  I will say that all of our waivers are now for classes that we only have one or two sections of the class so there is no where else for them to go.

I finished up today at 5:40 pm and left work to come home a little early.  I was on the road by 6:00 pm because I was so tired this morning.  My new little one is acting a little pathetic.  She does not have any marks on her from Squeak and her fighting but she did not sleep on the bed Sunday night, nor did she come out when I got home.  I put deworming medicine on her Sunday and I am hoping she is feeling that.  When I rub her back she cries when I am about halfway down her back.  She is so skinny anyway that I am not sure if it is the meds or there is something wrong with her.  :(

Pathetic Husky Kitty!

I am hoping to go to bed a little early tonight in hopes to catch up on my sleep and not be so exhausted tomorrow!!!  Wish me luck!!!!


Tuesday, September 30, 2014
I woke Tuesday morning to a sick kitty.  Husky had to stay in the bathroom today so she would not get sick around the apartment.  I hated keeping her in the bathroom but I could not have her making messes all over the apartment.  When you wake up to a kitty who has thrown up, it is never a good thing.  It was just setting things up to be interesting for today.   And of course today was a busy day with lots going on.  A meeting in the morning with a teacher who wants to alter the students in her class after balancing.  A conversation about teacher contracts and waivers where I learned a lot.  Observations today, issues with technology.  At some point I would like to order a regular day!  LOL!!!


Wednesday, October 1, 2014
At a certain point you would think that the students at the high school would pay attention to the issues that have happened on campus and not make the same mood does sending racy pictures to a boy or girl do when you are 15.  I am telling you!!!!!  So today I have two students who are no longer seeing each other but apparently sometime this summer there was some pictures taken and now one of the couple is threatening to send them out to the web.  Well this brings up a whole slew of problems for the kids.  Trying to explain the issue of child pornography to a 16 year old who does not understand they are not an adult is interesting.  Especially when they try to say, "They are just pictures."  Yes, they are just pictures to you but when they are getting ready to send them out to the web it is an issue.  Someone once said that it is only a secret if it is between two people and one of them is dead.  CHILDREN - be careful with your phones!!!!

The rest of the day was insanely busy.  We had two chrome books taken from the cart today.  I sent out an email to the faculty about this and literally got an email asking for a picture from some of the teachers.  I have done training with these with all the teachers.   So, some people did not pay attention.  In addition to searching for Chromebooks, I did some discipline, got in some observations, taught Zumba and then changed clothes for the marathon night.  I had so many things to move around and get set up that I left the school at 9:45 pm. I got home at 10:15 pm to do bills and then crash for the night.  Needless to say the new kitten does not like for me to sleep.  She likes to come and play with my face at 3:00 am in the morning and earn herself a stint in Kitty Jail - AKA the bathroom.  It is funny to hear her meow because she does not have a full meow and therefore it is a little squeak that comes out of her at a very high note.

Thursday, October 2, 2014
Ummm….. can someone tell me where September went and can I get it back?  Oh My Lord!!!  I turned around and it was October.  It has been nutty.  October is shaping up to be crazy!!!  Today I was in training all day and it was not as beneficial as I was hoping it would be.  It was more lecture about how to hold a meeting rather than what do do when a meeting goes awry and you have to deal with upset parents associated with a SPED situation.  Everyone sitting in this training is in administration or at the district office level and therefore we have all had to create agendas, facilitate meetings and work with parents.  It is almost like this is PTC (Parent Teacher Conference) 101.  I was hoping to get more out of the training than what I am.  While they keep saying that the third day is different, I hate to waste a day from school when I have so much to do and want to be at work.  I know training is necessary and it is good to spend time with colleagues, sharing information and working together but I just feel like this is so basic at this point.  I cannot say they have given me anything I did not already know.

I got back to school tonight and covered the 9th grade Football Game as an Athletic Trainer because our Athletic Trainer had to go to a meeting.  It was fun to be on the field in another capacity and yes, I got to go out on the field twice tonight.  Granted it was not a big deal, but it was still two times.  LOL!!!  I have to say that April's pack is HEAVY!!  She really needs to clean some of that out and make it less than a 15 lb pack over a shoulder.    Upon finishing the game I was able to get some work done in the office that has to be done but I was so tired from going to bed on Wednesday night so late and getting up early that it was hard to concentrate.  On top of that, the minute I finally got my office cleaned, it ended up with another 21 chrome books, 4 iPads and a bunch of ink that has to be either sent back to a store, given to another school or disposed of properly.  So now I have another mess to clean up.  LOL!!!  There is always something at a high school which makes it interesting.

Apparently while I was gone today there was a girl fight on campus and now we have three girls, two 9th graders and a 12th grader that are being suspended and possibly will be gone for the rest of the year.  Well it opens up more spaces but i hate that we lose kids in this way.

Friday, October 3, 2014
It was nice to be back on campus today with all the guidance counselors back.  They were gone on Wednesday, I was gone on Thursday and today we were able to reconnect and get caught back up.  Today was busy with two of the admin team being gone.  I did not sit down at all today until 1:15 pm in order to eat some zucchini the guidance counselors brought me.  I got a lot done and was able to make it to a lot of rooms today.  I did get to make some people happy today by handing out Chromebooks for the Data Team Leaders to be able to use, which was a good thing.  The PE teacher's iPads came in yesterday and they are ready to go out but Mike is going to hand them out on Monday.

The one thing I am bummed about is that I am finding out the Dell Chromebooks are starting to separate at the top.  I am not happy about this.  We are suppose to have 5 carts of 40 each for testing in April and we cannot afford to replace all of these.  I talked with our tech guy and he says they are under warranty still and can be replaced.  I am not sure if you an see in this picture that it is coming apart but I don't think supergluing it is an option.  LOL!!!

Dell Chromebook - Can you see the gap at the top of the screen???

I left school at 5:30 pm today to be sure to make it to the grocery store and be able to do some things around the apartment.  I have been so tired that I want to go to sleep early tonight because I have a lot to get done on Saturday.  Laundry, errands, ,I have to go back to the school on Sunday in order to get things ready for the Middle Years Authorization visit on Monday and Tuesday.  We have several events going on at the school on Saturday so I could not set up today for the visit next week.  It was nice to come home and be able to do a few things without dragging through the evening like a Zombie. I was able to play with Squeak and Husky who are getting along better.  While they may not be cleaning each other, they are sitting in the same room and in the bathroom at the same time.  Last night they even slept on the bed together - granted one was on the right side an the other was on the left, but they were both there.


Saturday, October 4, 2014
Well today was busy but I got to stay around Murrieta.  I got to see a friend for breakfast this morning that I don't always see but I cherish deeply and since the next few weeks are crazy it was good for some down time.  After breakfast I was able to do something for me today - I went and got my nails done and also got my car cleaned.  I picked up my shoes from the local shoe repair place and let me tell you this guy is amazing.  He has fixed the heels on so many of my shoes to make them last longer that it is a miracle and money saver.  After "my time" I got home to do some general clean up and get ready for the next week which is going to be crazy busy!!  We have the MYP authorization visit, CAHSEE Testing for Seniors, Back to School Night and the PSAT coming up all within two weeks. 

The cats are doing well.  While Squeak is still hissing at Husky when she knows I see her, she truly is not hurting her and it really is just exerting dominance over her and who the "Queen" of the apartment really is.  However, they do both sleep with me and will sit close to one another. 

The two cuties together.  Squeak on the left and Husky on the right.

I found this on Facebook and think it does a pretty good job of describing me.  See what you think and if it describes you.

20 Things You Should Know About An Independent Girl (Leann's comments are in pink)



1. We need alone time. A little each day and more than a little on other days. It doesn’t mean we’ve lost interest in you. - We still love you and want to talk with you.  We just may not need to everyday.

2. We don’t mind if you don’t call or text us every second. We like it. We won’t be contacting you either. That said, if you’re late, don’t keep us guessing as to when you’ll show up as we’ll make other plans. - We want to hear from you, we just don't want to have to take pictures of where we are and share every detail of our day with you.  We are okay if you don't text us every hour and we have a hard time understanding why some girls need this.

3. We can clean up our own messes. We’re not waiting around for you to fix our problems.

4. We are perfectly fine doing chores, running errands, and exercising by ourselves. If you want to join us, we’re glad to have you along, but don’t talk to us while we’re in the zone. - We like for you to come along, just be ready to go when its time and don't make us wait forever to get things done because of your time table.

5. We sign up and attend charity events, races, and cultural exhibits on our own. We don’t need a date to feel comfortable at these things. Set us loose in a room with a bunch of people and we’ll have 10 best friends before the night is through. - We like for you to be with us but many times you don't want to be there because we are making friends.

6. If we have a sleep over, don’t expect me to cuddle you all night and cook you a hot breakfast. I will actually want to sleep and we can go out to the diner for brunch. - However, we do like to cook for you and want to at times.

7. If we go to a party where it’s mostly your friends, I don’t need you hovering. I’m perfectly capable of chatting it up with endless amounts of strangers. I’ll even enjoy it. But don’t completely forget about me either as you’re probably my favorite person in the room. - See #5 and don't be mad.

8. We are comfortable paying our own way and will feel funny if you constantly insist on treating us. We don’t mind splitting restaurant bills with you. In fact, it makes us feel like we don’t owe you anything. We never expect you to pay for us or buy us gifts. If it’s not on a birthday or an anniversary, it feels like a bribe. - We like to pay for you also and don't feel you are obligated to pay for everything every time. 

9. We will never ask you to lend us money. If we do, we feel odd and uncomfortable until we pay you back. - This is so true.

10. We are capable of going to the bathroom by ourselves. But sometimes we just prefer the company of a friend.

11. We work because we want our own career. We’re not depending on you to be our sugar daddies. Don’t expect us to take a day off on a moment’s notice just because you bought tickets to a baseball game at 1 PM on a Tuesday. We have ambition and take pride in our work. - We want to be part of something larger.

12. If you want to go watch football or to happy hour with friends, we’re cool with that. Actually, we prefer it, on occasion, because it gives us the chance to catch up with our own friends or spend the night catching up on our independent interests.

13. We know how to save money and are actively interested in planning for our own retirement. We know what a 401K plan is.

14. The idea of getting married sounds great with the right person. But we’re perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves if need be. We choose to be in relationship because we like you, not because we can’t live without you. - We like to spend time with you and while we might feel we cannot live without you, we will not tell you that.  We have learned or been taught that we must take care of ourselves. 

15. Sometimes, instead of a romantic partner, we secretly want to marry a cook / cleaning person / personal trainer / masseuse / stylist versus anybody else. If you happen to be one or more of these things, we will love you even more. - We want your help but we will do it on our own.

16. We like to fix things ourselves and will usually bring a step stool over to get things off of high shelves, even if you’re way taller. - However, if we don't know how to fix it we will hire someone, or ask you to fix it and we would like it done in a timely manner. 

17. We can be stubborn and adamant about handling things a certain way even if you’ve been through something before and want to give us advice. Forgive us. Let us try it our own way first, even if your intentions are good.

18. We get very frustrated with extremely needy, co-dependent people. This frustration may make us seem callous or icy, but it’s more about wanting to see people help themselves. - We have a hard time understanding why people don't want to be independent.

19. At times, we may seem so self-reliant, content and in control that you may wonder whether you’re needed in our lives. You are. We are confident and directed but cherish someone who appreciates, rather than fears, these qualities. - This is why we do want you to do like for you to do #2 for us and reach out a few times.

20. We still love a big hug, lots of affection, and to be told how much we’re loved. Tell us we look pretty every now and then and don’t let us shrug it off. Independence will never trump the desire to feel adored. - This is why we smile and kiss you.  You are loved and while we may not seem to be extremely affectionate at times, we are with the people we truly care about and want to be with and around.