Frustration

okay so for the first time in a long time I am wondering why I became a teacher! Sad! Last week was rough. Several students went and complained because they were unhappy. The worst part is my principal took their word and made me feel like I was not doing my job. I really think she has opened a can of worms with this. I worry that it won't matter what I do at this point. The kids/parents know they have her ear on this and they can apparently complain about anything and she gives it validation. I know that she is only doing her job and I can respect that, I'm just worried that I cannot recover from this. I really at a loss for what to do to get past this. Only 5 weeks until spring break and a cruise away from it all!

New Orleans

This past weekend I went on a trip to New Orleans where I chaperone the band at the high school where I teach. It was a blast!!

We left last Wednesday night and drove all night. The trip started with a bang when the tour buses got pulled over at 3am by two troopers in Alabama. Apparently we were going 5 miles over the speed limit in a construction zone. They proceeded to keep the buses pulled over for like 35 minutes while they checked logs and paperwork. Crazy!

In New Orleans, we went on a tour of the haunted places of the French Quarter, took a steamboat cruize on the Natchez, went to the Aquarium, and watched a Carnival parade. The parade was very cool, standing on the sidewalks jumping and screaming for plastic beads made in China. LOL! I think I came home with like 150 strings of these silly beads. Going to give some of them to my kids at school. Then the next day, the band actually marched in a parade. I and the other chaperones followed the band during the parade. We walked for almost 5 miles! My feet were killing me. It was so cool though because there were people lining the entire parade route. We also got to go on a swamp tour, a plantation tour, and listen to live jazz music!

The swamp tour was cool. We were on boats going through the swamp where we were able to see live gators swimming in the water. The tour guide actually had a small alligator on the boat. It was two years old and about two feet long. I am not afraid of a lot of stuff, but terrified of snakes and other reptiles. When he pulled the gator out of the cooler, I immediately hightailed it to the other end of the boat. Eventually I was able to get up the courage to sit beside someone holding it and touch it. Then one of the other chaperones and I finally decided to try holding it. Now let me tell you, I was terrified. I was handed the gator and was holding it and taking the picture and then the gator went beserk! His head starting moving and his tail was swinging and legs flying. I panicked! Luckily I did not drop it or throw it overboard although I thought about it. One of the kids got it quickly from me and I proceeded to go to the other end of the boat and try to calm down. My heart was racing! Of course, then one of the kids tell me they got it on video! Just waiting for that to show up on youtube! LOL!

One of the most sombering things we did was take a bus tour through the 9th ward of N.O. This was the area that was the most devastated by hurricane Katrina several years ago. A lot of the buildings are just gone. A lot of them are shells. A lot of them still have the x's on them where they were searched. Completely unbelievable! There were whole blocks with only one house of them now. Just barren empty fields.

Coming home sucked! First a long bus ride and then about a 30 degree temperature change! Brrrrr! It was like 70 in N.O. and only about 40 at home. Wasn't ready for that!

Food was really good, although I have had enough of gumbo and jambalaya for a while. We also had pralines which were amazing!!!

I will post pictures when I have them! Happy Mardi Gras!

I hate being sick!

Okay so there is absolutely nothing worse than waking up on a Friday morning with a head cold. Completely frustrating! Can't work out cause I can't breathe! Sucks! Fortunately I'm feeling better today. Got a pedicure for my trip on Wednesday just in case it is warm enough for sandals down in New Orleans. Hopefully I can take some medicine and crash and wake up tomorrow all better!

The Last Year

Where do I start????

The cruise last April was a blast! Met lots of cool people.

My brother came home from Iraq in March. We flew out to Seattle to visit him in June. It was so good to finally see him. He proposed to his girlfriend in July at DisneyWorld and they are getting married in March. I am one of the bridesmaids and trying not to go broke paying for my part of it. LOL!

Traveled to Vegas in August for a friend's wedding. I had been to Vegas before but not for a wedding. I had no idea what to expect. It was very nice though. We had a lot of fun.

My other brother got married in September. I was a part of the wedding party there too. It was a huge shindig! Parties and showers before hand. Coolest part was that one of my friends from the cruise lived 10 minutes from his house. We got to hang out on Saturday night after the wedding. She showed us some of downtown Houston where the rich people shop! LOL!

Spent my 2nd Christmas in my new house. Still surreal that I own the house. LOL!

Both brothers came home to visit after Christmas with their wives/fiances. That made 7 people in my parents' house. Since I had the only vehicle big enough for all 7, I became the chauffeur for the week. What fun! We went apartment hunting for my brother. After the wedding in March, he is getting out of the service and he and his wife will be moving back to Kentucky. Yeah!

School was back in session in early January and that meant back to work at least for a few days. Of course the typical January winter storm showed up mid month and we missed a full week of school. We had like 3 inches of snow, an inch of ice, and more snow. I am so sick of snow I could scream!

Future plans now include a trip to New Orleans next week, a wedding in Seattle in March, and another cruise the first week of April.

You know me....never sitting still!

Cruise Prep Time

Exactly 5 weeks from today I will be here:

Waiting to board this:

So that I can do this:

While I am in:

Are you jealous?

Co-Workers Who Drive You Crazy

I really dislike co-workers who might have a few years on you and think that there way is the best way or that they are more important than you. There is a fellow teacher of mine who just drives everyone crazy with her opinionated views. She thinks she knows all and is so important. Now in small quantities I really like this person, but sometimes....she just pisses me off. Here is today's situation:

Our basketball team is in the district finals this weekend and so they decided that a pep rally would be a good idea to show our support for them. That's fine, no problem. They emailed all of us asking our opinion. I responded great idea, but could we not lose the same period of the day as we did last time. Well, this person responded that the period I suggested was her planning and she didn't want to lose it because she really needed it. Doesn't everyone need their planning? Someone is going to have to lose it. Why not her? What makes her special?

I responded that my argument was that we had lost one period last time why not another one this time? Why lose instruction time in the same class again? She responds with this comment:

"You are very funny. (just kidding). I will work things out, while you educate. ;) ha ha ha"

Okay now what do you think that means? I, as well as others, took it to mean that she was making fun of me and the fact that I was concerned with instruction time. What else was I supposed to think after that first sentence? I was like WTF??? Let's just say that comment went all over me. What was she thinking? So I called her on it through a private email not mass email for the whole school to see and this was her response to me:

"I was pulling your leg---I said (JUST kidding!). I am more than certain you are an excellent teacher! And I mean that! It was just cute that you said it the way you did, and that is why I said that. You are a fine teacher. Yes, e-mail can have some problems in that area. I can be sarcastic, but it was more meant to be funny, guess it wasn’t. Sorry, I would never insult you."

Nice save. Whatever. Then she sends this out to the entire faculty to save her own ass.

"Just so EVERYONE knows, I was trying to be funny and tease a little with _____. She is a fine teacher and I would never want to “imply” otherwise!!!"

Again, nice save. It was funny though cause other teachers took it the same way I did and came to see me immediately after it came across email. They were seeing if I had exploded yet. LOL!

Of course, this was on top of dealing with an uncooperative principal and bookkeeping beauracracy. I needed Happy Hour badly after this day!

Anyone else work with these kind of people?

Pesky Ex-Friends

Ever have any of those? I do. One in particular! There is this girl I used to work with at the school. She was getting married, asked me to be a bridesmaid, I accepted, everything is cool. Well then her fiance acts like an ass and she calls me and another friends to help her move out of the apartment. We go, help her, still everything is cool. She of course has called off the wedding and is moving on with her life. Come to find out she goes on her "honeymoon cruise" with the guy! Bitch! Lied straight to my face about where she was and had me feeding her cat while she was gone. Anyway, I told her I wanted nothing to do with her and at this moment am still trying to forget she exists.

Well...that's impossible because she will not leave me alone!!!!

She is now engaged to marry a guy who works in my building. I like this guy and hope he knows what he is getting himself into with her. He is a nice guy and doesn't deserve to get hurt. Well, anyway, today I get an email from her...see she won't leave me alone!

"______ and I are getting married soon and we’re in the process of removing our current furniture to replace it with new items. We’re down to his couch, love seat, computer desk and a glass top table. Please spread the word that these items are available for sale as I can’t think of 2 people who know more folks than the two of you do."

She and him are apparently moving in together and are consolidating furniture. She wants me to pass the word about her furniture because as she puts it I know people. WTF? Whatever! My best friend and I are completely amazed at her ability to act as if nothing is wrong and that we are still friends. I wanted so bad to send a nasty email and let her know exactly how I feel but alas I can't. I like her fiance too much to hurt him that way and it would affect him negatively. So instead I am here venting about what a bitch she is!!!! AAAAHHH!!!! Maybe one day she will get the hint.

Anyone else out there have pesky ex-friends who won't simply go away?????