....to not smile while watching this. It makes memories of Terminal 5 while on the Incident with the students much less painful.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
100. Or...The True Story of How I Am Almost There....
I find it rather fitting that I just saw this is the 100th post. This blog was begun as a way to help me lose weight by keeping me "honest". And yet, in my absence of quite a few more months that I liked to see, I am almost done with my weight loss....journey?
That sounds too touchy-feely, too hokey. I am 3.5 pounds away from actually being within my BMI range----a feat that has not been accomplished in adult memory. To date, I have lost 36 pounds and I like---really like---what I see in the mirror.
I went back to the tried and true Weight Watchers. Because IT WORKS. This time has been different than my last 3 (recorded online; there might have been an additional one in there where I didn't record my progress online) attempts at WW. It feels different and has, quite honestly, been the easiest thus far.
For me, it was just a matter of relaxing. There has been a lot of positive thinking in terms of "This will be a success; it feels different." Or more accurately, "This feels different; it will be a success." I get up and walk every morning for at least a half hour, sometimes more. Not walking has not really been an option. Snooze button has not really been an option. And I don't really fight myself about it as I have in the past. There aren't really anymore of in-my-brain discussions or even getting a little mad that I have to get up and walk crap. Part of why it feels different is that there is just......I can't explain.....there is acceptance that this is what I have to do. It isn't a punishment for being fat, it isn't a bad thing, it isn't something that I will quit cold turkey when I have reached my goal.
Walking is my deal of choice for many reasons. It's free, for cripes sake. I roll out of bed, maybe/maybe not with the hair brushing so much.....and I am out the door in 3 minutes, cranking the tunes and enjoying the peace of the morning. I get up before my husband is up, before the dog is up(although Lionel has taken to taking my spot in the bed....) and see my regulars in the morning. There is the lady with the gray teeth and the grandpa in shorts and a gray mustache on his bike---ringing his bike bell to warn me he is coming. (There is a post coming with more about him.) I am going to have to figure out an alternative for when there is ice in the winter, but other than that....I walk. Rain or shine. It wakes me up, I feel better, I have more energy and it is out of the way first thing in the morning. I start to stress if I leave it for later, so I just do it right away. Done and done.
"Doing" Weight Watchers feels different because I am not battling myself nor beating myself up. I have gained a couple pounds a week here or there but I don't use it as an excuse to eat everything. Because it feels different. I don't sweat the gains because I know I will increase my walking the following week, or watch my points more closely, or make sure to get my healthy oils in that week, or make sure I take my multivitamin every day that week. And I lose the next week. I am not looking for a number as a goal....even now, I don't know what my ultimate goal will be. OF course, my goal is to be within a healthy BMI (174), but then I think, "Well, maybe 170...a nice round number and a little buffer." Then I think, "165? A little bigger buffer." We'll see how I feel at 170, to stay at 165 may be more work than I want to live my life by.
This time feels like when I quit smoking and it has felt like this since the very beginning. I just decided that I was no longer a smoker and pretty much quit cold turkey, October 1, 2001. There were maybe one or two regret cigs, but they tasted awful by that point and I didn't really enjoy smoking any more. Same deal with the couple weeks that I have gained. They felt bad; I felt bad. Not mentally---I knew what I was doing, I accepted the fact that I wanted a free-for-all couple days and more importantly....I accepted the fact that there would be consequences and I would have to make compensations the next week. And then I DID! What's more, I just felt physically crappy eating crappy food and lots of it.
I really don't obsess about it as I have in the past. I only weigh myself once a week. The previous times I would be tracking every morning and then that sometimes dictated what kind of day I would have, mood-wise. Once a week, my weigh in day on Monday, and that is it. I look forward to Mondays, honestly. Partly because most Mondays, there has been some sort of weight loss----sometimes a surprising amount.
I also don't obsess about points as I have in the past. I track my points, even when I eat something crappy (That I decide to eat and not beat myself up for the choice and just enjoy it.) It is about the total picture of the week. I have extra points each week and for the most part I dip into them each week. Some weeks are deeper dips than others. When I go into my exercise points, after blowing by all my weekly points and daily points....I usually have stayed the same or gained a little. But again, I compensate the next week. I am not going to lose all my weight in one week; a marathon, not a sprint.
Lastly, I am not really using the Weight Watchers recipes or fat-free products, or any thing that allows me to eat as I once did just with fewer points. That is not how my husband and I live. That is not something I want to sustain. I like the taste of real whipped cream. If I know I want to have chocolate pudding, with whipped cream and raspberries.....then I have to eat fewer points during the day to account for it. Then I can enjoy it. I have found that I prefer to have points that I have to eat at the end of the day rather than the other way around. It makes me not stress. For example, today I met my brothers for lunch and ordered broiled walleye, not realizing it would be broiled in butter. Well, that butter ate up most of my points and I now have no points left for the day. Which means that I will dip into my weekly points for dinner tonight. I still haven't had my healthy oils for the day. Which means sauteed veggies in olive oil is for supper for me. Maybe some popcorn after supper if I am still hungry. And now, I have learned to ask how food is prepared before I order. I am a little stressed that I don't have points, but have also learned a valuable lesson not to be repeated. I have let it go and accepted that this is today's gig.
In the end, it has come down to decisions and the mental part of weight loss. It has always been this for me. I have been concerned about my weight for most...strike that...ALL of my life. As a result, I have read many books, learned many things, and know a lot about how to lose weight. Yet, I never have been successful for any period of time or with this large of a loss. It feels different because I am actually doing the things I have learned and stopped freaking out about all the static that was my downfall before---every time. "What if I gain it back?" (I won't; I am going to be honest with myself when I gain and get on top of it the following week) "I am not losing weight fast enough." (So what?!?! I am still losing weight overall and am going to continue to do the things that have been working for me in the past.) And on and on and blah blah blah. I don't care about the excuses or negotiations anymore.
It just feels different and I am really really proud of myself.
That sounds too touchy-feely, too hokey. I am 3.5 pounds away from actually being within my BMI range----a feat that has not been accomplished in adult memory. To date, I have lost 36 pounds and I like---really like---what I see in the mirror.
I went back to the tried and true Weight Watchers. Because IT WORKS. This time has been different than my last 3 (recorded online; there might have been an additional one in there where I didn't record my progress online) attempts at WW. It feels different and has, quite honestly, been the easiest thus far.
For me, it was just a matter of relaxing. There has been a lot of positive thinking in terms of "This will be a success; it feels different." Or more accurately, "This feels different; it will be a success." I get up and walk every morning for at least a half hour, sometimes more. Not walking has not really been an option. Snooze button has not really been an option. And I don't really fight myself about it as I have in the past. There aren't really anymore of in-my-brain discussions or even getting a little mad that I have to get up and walk crap. Part of why it feels different is that there is just......I can't explain.....there is acceptance that this is what I have to do. It isn't a punishment for being fat, it isn't a bad thing, it isn't something that I will quit cold turkey when I have reached my goal.
Walking is my deal of choice for many reasons. It's free, for cripes sake. I roll out of bed, maybe/maybe not with the hair brushing so much.....and I am out the door in 3 minutes, cranking the tunes and enjoying the peace of the morning. I get up before my husband is up, before the dog is up(although Lionel has taken to taking my spot in the bed....) and see my regulars in the morning. There is the lady with the gray teeth and the grandpa in shorts and a gray mustache on his bike---ringing his bike bell to warn me he is coming. (There is a post coming with more about him.) I am going to have to figure out an alternative for when there is ice in the winter, but other than that....I walk. Rain or shine. It wakes me up, I feel better, I have more energy and it is out of the way first thing in the morning. I start to stress if I leave it for later, so I just do it right away. Done and done.
"Doing" Weight Watchers feels different because I am not battling myself nor beating myself up. I have gained a couple pounds a week here or there but I don't use it as an excuse to eat everything. Because it feels different. I don't sweat the gains because I know I will increase my walking the following week, or watch my points more closely, or make sure to get my healthy oils in that week, or make sure I take my multivitamin every day that week. And I lose the next week. I am not looking for a number as a goal....even now, I don't know what my ultimate goal will be. OF course, my goal is to be within a healthy BMI (174), but then I think, "Well, maybe 170...a nice round number and a little buffer." Then I think, "165? A little bigger buffer." We'll see how I feel at 170, to stay at 165 may be more work than I want to live my life by.
This time feels like when I quit smoking and it has felt like this since the very beginning. I just decided that I was no longer a smoker and pretty much quit cold turkey, October 1, 2001. There were maybe one or two regret cigs, but they tasted awful by that point and I didn't really enjoy smoking any more. Same deal with the couple weeks that I have gained. They felt bad; I felt bad. Not mentally---I knew what I was doing, I accepted the fact that I wanted a free-for-all couple days and more importantly....I accepted the fact that there would be consequences and I would have to make compensations the next week. And then I DID! What's more, I just felt physically crappy eating crappy food and lots of it.
I really don't obsess about it as I have in the past. I only weigh myself once a week. The previous times I would be tracking every morning and then that sometimes dictated what kind of day I would have, mood-wise. Once a week, my weigh in day on Monday, and that is it. I look forward to Mondays, honestly. Partly because most Mondays, there has been some sort of weight loss----sometimes a surprising amount.
I also don't obsess about points as I have in the past. I track my points, even when I eat something crappy (That I decide to eat and not beat myself up for the choice and just enjoy it.) It is about the total picture of the week. I have extra points each week and for the most part I dip into them each week. Some weeks are deeper dips than others. When I go into my exercise points, after blowing by all my weekly points and daily points....I usually have stayed the same or gained a little. But again, I compensate the next week. I am not going to lose all my weight in one week; a marathon, not a sprint.
Lastly, I am not really using the Weight Watchers recipes or fat-free products, or any thing that allows me to eat as I once did just with fewer points. That is not how my husband and I live. That is not something I want to sustain. I like the taste of real whipped cream. If I know I want to have chocolate pudding, with whipped cream and raspberries.....then I have to eat fewer points during the day to account for it. Then I can enjoy it. I have found that I prefer to have points that I have to eat at the end of the day rather than the other way around. It makes me not stress. For example, today I met my brothers for lunch and ordered broiled walleye, not realizing it would be broiled in butter. Well, that butter ate up most of my points and I now have no points left for the day. Which means that I will dip into my weekly points for dinner tonight. I still haven't had my healthy oils for the day. Which means sauteed veggies in olive oil is for supper for me. Maybe some popcorn after supper if I am still hungry. And now, I have learned to ask how food is prepared before I order. I am a little stressed that I don't have points, but have also learned a valuable lesson not to be repeated. I have let it go and accepted that this is today's gig.
In the end, it has come down to decisions and the mental part of weight loss. It has always been this for me. I have been concerned about my weight for most...strike that...ALL of my life. As a result, I have read many books, learned many things, and know a lot about how to lose weight. Yet, I never have been successful for any period of time or with this large of a loss. It feels different because I am actually doing the things I have learned and stopped freaking out about all the static that was my downfall before---every time. "What if I gain it back?" (I won't; I am going to be honest with myself when I gain and get on top of it the following week) "I am not losing weight fast enough." (So what?!?! I am still losing weight overall and am going to continue to do the things that have been working for me in the past.) And on and on and blah blah blah. I don't care about the excuses or negotiations anymore.
It just feels different and I am really really proud of myself.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
To continue...
Here is the list I started yesterday. (To recap, I started making a list of all the things I would like to do, maybe not so much with the expectation that I achieve all ofthem, but who knows, right?)
1. learn how to twirl a baton
2. go a national park
3.make beef bourguignon
4. knit a sweater
5. publish something
6. go to Italy with my husband
7. successfully train a dog to come when called
8. espalier a fruit tree or two
9. connect and use a rain barrel
10. re upholster some sort of furniture
11. go to Scotland with my mother in law
12. grow potatoes
13. See Led Zeppelin should they ever reunite
14. get a pair of custom made shoes
15. go to Montreal
16. learn how to make chocolate
17. build our own house
18. learn how to make ricotta cheese
19. Learn how to make a hard cheese
20. make all Christmas presents one year
21. slow dance with my husband and not try to lead
22. go to Africa
23. sail
24. do the splits
25. take a spur of the moment plane trip to wherever is cheapest one weekend
26. learn how to make soap
27. watch an Alfred Hitchcock film
28. go to Napa Valley
29. go to Paris again...with my husband, without 40 high school kids
30. live in Italy with my husband for at least 6 months
On my walk this morning, I thought of a couple more:
31. go to an opera
32. make a souffle
33. go dogsledding
34. climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
35. learn how to tie five useful knots
36. learn how to belly dance
37. go to New England
I'll keep adding as I think of them---what are the first five things, in no particular order, that you would put on a similar list??
1. learn how to twirl a baton
2. go a national park
3.
4. knit a sweater
5. publish something
6. go to Italy with my husband
7. successfully train a dog to come when called
8. espalier a fruit tree or two
9. connect and use a rain barrel
10. re upholster some sort of furniture
11. go to Scotland with my mother in law
12.
13. See Led Zeppelin should they ever reunite
14. get a pair of custom made shoes
15. go to Montreal
16. learn how to make chocolate
17. build our own house
18.
19. Learn how to make a hard cheese
20. make all Christmas presents one year
21. slow dance with my husband and not try to lead
22. go to Africa
23. sail
24. do the splits
25. take a spur of the moment plane trip to wherever is cheapest one weekend
26. learn how to make soap
27. watch an Alfred Hitchcock film
28. go to Napa Valley
29. go to Paris again...with my husband, without 40 high school kids
30. live in Italy with my husband for at least 6 months
On my walk this morning, I thought of a couple more:
31. go to an opera
32. make a souffle
33. go dogsledding
34. climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
35. learn how to tie five useful knots
36. learn how to belly dance
37. go to New England
I'll keep adding as I think of them---what are the first five things, in no particular order, that you would put on a similar list??
Friday, July 30, 2010
Life List?
I was surfing the interwebs today and came across this post.
I like the idea. Those of you that know me, KNOW that I have lots of ideas, schemes, visions of grandeur. I have a lot of things in my noggin that don't always spill out my mouth---things that I will do or accomplish "someday".
I like the idea of writing them down---why....what a fabulous idea. I love lists. I love organization and perhaps it will help me focus on the stuff that I really want to do and not worry about the stuff that I think I want to do because I think other people will think it is cool that I did it. That is a pretty lame reason for doing something, but I think many people can get sucked into it. I recently had a convo with a good friend about living a more authentic life, being a more authentic me. Christ, it shouldn't be that hard, right?
I haven't shared yet, but so far I have lost 32 pounds. That's pretty awesome. Since April. Again, pretty awesome. I have struggled with this issue my whole life and there is a blog post somewhere in my head forming about it, but that is for a later day. Suffice it to say, I am re-organizing myself in more ways than one.
I am only going to work on this list for 5 minutes......I am curious to see what I come up with.
1. learn how to twirl a baton
2. go a national park
3. make beef bourguignon
4. knit a sweater
5. publish something
6. go to Italy with my husband
7. successfully train a dog to come when called
8. espalier a fruit tree or two
9. connect and use a rain barrel
10. re upholster some sort of furniture
11. go to Scotland with my mother in law
12.grow potatoes
Hmmm....that was harder than I thought! I had lots of things pop into my head that should just go on a regular to do list like "paint the living room". I also had things that popped up that I felt weren't specific enough or quantifiable like "get better at ______". You can always get better at most things, yeah? When do you cross it off your list then?
Five more minutes?
13. See Led Zeppelin should they ever reunite
14. get a pair of custom made shoes
15. go to Montreal
16. learn how to make chocolate
17. build our own house
18. learn how to make ricotta cheese
19. Learn how to make a hard cheese
20. make all Christmas presents one year
21. slow dance with my husband and not try to lead
22. go to Africa
23. sail
24. do the splits
25. take a spur of the moment plane trip to wherever is cheapest one weekend
That one took more than 5 minutes, but I wanted to round off at 25. I am going to keep adding to this. I like it. I like it a lot.
26. learn how to make soap
27. watch an Alfred Hitchcock film
28. go to Napa Valley
29. go to Paris again...with my husband, without 40 high school kids
30. live in Italy with my husband for at least 6 months
I guess I had a few more in there rattlin' 'round.
I like the idea. Those of you that know me, KNOW that I have lots of ideas, schemes, visions of grandeur. I have a lot of things in my noggin that don't always spill out my mouth---things that I will do or accomplish "someday".
I like the idea of writing them down---why....what a fabulous idea. I love lists. I love organization and perhaps it will help me focus on the stuff that I really want to do and not worry about the stuff that I think I want to do because I think other people will think it is cool that I did it. That is a pretty lame reason for doing something, but I think many people can get sucked into it. I recently had a convo with a good friend about living a more authentic life, being a more authentic me. Christ, it shouldn't be that hard, right?
I haven't shared yet, but so far I have lost 32 pounds. That's pretty awesome. Since April. Again, pretty awesome. I have struggled with this issue my whole life and there is a blog post somewhere in my head forming about it, but that is for a later day. Suffice it to say, I am re-organizing myself in more ways than one.
I am only going to work on this list for 5 minutes......I am curious to see what I come up with.
1. learn how to twirl a baton
2. go a national park
3.
4. knit a sweater
5. publish something
6. go to Italy with my husband
7. successfully train a dog to come when called
8. espalier a fruit tree or two
9. connect and use a rain barrel
10. re upholster some sort of furniture
11. go to Scotland with my mother in law
12.
Hmmm....that was harder than I thought! I had lots of things pop into my head that should just go on a regular to do list like "paint the living room". I also had things that popped up that I felt weren't specific enough or quantifiable like "get better at ______". You can always get better at most things, yeah? When do you cross it off your list then?
Five more minutes?
13. See Led Zeppelin should they ever reunite
14. get a pair of custom made shoes
15. go to Montreal
16. learn how to make chocolate
17. build our own house
18.
19. Learn how to make a hard cheese
20. make all Christmas presents one year
21. slow dance with my husband and not try to lead
22. go to Africa
23. sail
24. do the splits
25. take a spur of the moment plane trip to wherever is cheapest one weekend
That one took more than 5 minutes, but I wanted to round off at 25. I am going to keep adding to this. I like it. I like it a lot.
26. learn how to make soap
27. watch an Alfred Hitchcock film
28. go to Napa Valley
29. go to Paris again...with my husband, without 40 high school kids
30. live in Italy with my husband for at least 6 months
I guess I had a few more in there rattlin' 'round.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I Need to Evacuate the Randomness from my Brain.
Here is one way to do so: make a list. I think I have blogged about my undying love for lists. This is not one of those lists. I do love lists where I can cross stuff off. Sometimes it is just a one liner cross off. Sometimes, it is an all out black out so that you can't even read what was just completed. I really haven't ever used check-offs. Nor have I used squiggley wavy lines through an item. I must admit to having used color coding for items yet to do and items completed.
In some areas of my world, I am uber organized. Others.....not so much. Spice cabinet? Organized and labeled.
My office desk at school for the first six months after moving to a new office? Still in boxes. Meh.
1. I love when Lionel snores and dream barks.
(Folks, this is a King size bed.)
2. I have lost 32.5 pounds since April as of last Monday.
3. I just got rid of one bag of clothes that were ratty and two bags to sell at the secondhand store.
That was so much fun....new wardrobe to fit the new body.
4. I bought a Meyer Lemon Tree and the first lemon is forming with five more blossoms on the way.
5. It has been way easier to lose weight this time around. Like freak-me-out-easier.
6. We have an intricate system of moving colder air around our house. Window unit plus the "Hawaiian Breeze" fan on the first level.
The Breeze may be Hawaiian in nature, but the sound is akin to a jet engine at take off. That sucker is loud.
7. I rarely have reaction to mosquito bites. Which is good in Minnesota.
8. I haven't done anything to prepare for school starting like I thought I would (And that is on my summer to do list....) other than put the school calendar dates into my planner. Oh, I also went to school and GOT the planner. See? I am accomplishing things....
9. I am completely fine with the level of accomplishments in number 8. I am enjoying my summer and nap schedule.
10. Sometimes, I don't recognize myself in the mirror---my face looks thinner. I do a little inner I-am-proud-of-myself-dance when that happens.
11. I am learning how to knit this summer. I feel like I am 72. But I really like it. I am making my second hat right now. We will not be discussing the first hat----felting incident gone wrong. So very wrong.
12. Benchwarmers was a stupid movie, but I cannot control myself at the part where the guy who hates the sun has to go outside to get the girl scout cookies....I am laughing out loud by myself right now. With the Samurai sword and the screaming and the sticking the hand out to test the sun. Who is that guy again? The butterfly guy from Chuck and Larry??
13. Still laughing.
14. I took a mozzarella cheese making class Wednesday. I thought it would be starting from "scratch" and milk. Nope. I feel a little cheated as it was started from mozzarella curds. Essentially, the instructor heated up the curds to melt them together to form a fresh mozzarella ball. I think it should be classified as less "making" and more "reconstituting". Truth in advertising, my friends, truth in advertising.
15. What was the point of calling cards in a social sense? "Hey, I was here."? It seems weird.
16. In the battle of Me v. Spiders? I am losing. I thought I got all the cobwebs last week....month? Turns out not so much. I tell myself: "The house is 115 years old, spiders are going to live in your house with you." (The truth is, I don't necessarily fear spiders....I just have Spider Karma Issues. Like if I kill one, all the Spider Buddies will gang up and come and crawl all over me while I slumber. Someone else in my house doesn't help matters by talking about laying spider eggs in/on me while I sleep....)
17. I made a Plum Crisp last night.
It was pretty good...the plums were ripe.
Ah....more space has been freed in my head. And now, off to walk the beast before it gets Africa Hot and Carribean Humid.
In some areas of my world, I am uber organized. Others.....not so much. Spice cabinet? Organized and labeled.
My office desk at school for the first six months after moving to a new office? Still in boxes. Meh.
1. I love when Lionel snores and dream barks.
(Folks, this is a King size bed.)2. I have lost 32.5 pounds since April as of last Monday.
3. I just got rid of one bag of clothes that were ratty and two bags to sell at the secondhand store.
That was so much fun....new wardrobe to fit the new body.4. I bought a Meyer Lemon Tree and the first lemon is forming with five more blossoms on the way.
5. It has been way easier to lose weight this time around. Like freak-me-out-easier.
6. We have an intricate system of moving colder air around our house. Window unit plus the "Hawaiian Breeze" fan on the first level.
The Breeze may be Hawaiian in nature, but the sound is akin to a jet engine at take off. That sucker is loud.7. I rarely have reaction to mosquito bites. Which is good in Minnesota.
8. I haven't done anything to prepare for school starting like I thought I would (And that is on my summer to do list....) other than put the school calendar dates into my planner. Oh, I also went to school and GOT the planner. See? I am accomplishing things....
9. I am completely fine with the level of accomplishments in number 8. I am enjoying my summer and nap schedule.
10. Sometimes, I don't recognize myself in the mirror---my face looks thinner. I do a little inner I-am-proud-of-myself-dance when that happens.
11. I am learning how to knit this summer. I feel like I am 72. But I really like it. I am making my second hat right now. We will not be discussing the first hat----felting incident gone wrong. So very wrong.
12. Benchwarmers was a stupid movie, but I cannot control myself at the part where the guy who hates the sun has to go outside to get the girl scout cookies....I am laughing out loud by myself right now. With the Samurai sword and the screaming and the sticking the hand out to test the sun. Who is that guy again? The butterfly guy from Chuck and Larry??
13. Still laughing.
14. I took a mozzarella cheese making class Wednesday. I thought it would be starting from "scratch" and milk. Nope. I feel a little cheated as it was started from mozzarella curds. Essentially, the instructor heated up the curds to melt them together to form a fresh mozzarella ball. I think it should be classified as less "making" and more "reconstituting". Truth in advertising, my friends, truth in advertising.
15. What was the point of calling cards in a social sense? "Hey, I was here."? It seems weird.
16. In the battle of Me v. Spiders? I am losing. I thought I got all the cobwebs last week....month? Turns out not so much. I tell myself: "The house is 115 years old, spiders are going to live in your house with you." (The truth is, I don't necessarily fear spiders....I just have Spider Karma Issues. Like if I kill one, all the Spider Buddies will gang up and come and crawl all over me while I slumber. Someone else in my house doesn't help matters by talking about laying spider eggs in/on me while I sleep....)
17. I made a Plum Crisp last night.
It was pretty good...the plums were ripe.Ah....more space has been freed in my head. And now, off to walk the beast before it gets Africa Hot and Carribean Humid.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Uhmmm....hi. Hi.
We got Lionel a year ago last Monday. I think he weighed 20 lbs? We are estimating he weighs 160-165 right now. I bet his head alone weighs 30 lbs. The dog is big. As I type, he is laying on the dining room floor meticulously unraveling and obliterating a rope pull toy.
You have to feel bad for the kid, he destroys almost any toy in five minutes. Stuffed animals with squeakers? Gone--3 minutes. I got him a stuffed alligator toy with 16 squeakers, half were non-functioning before we were out of the Petco parking lot. He loves--LOVES---tennis balls, but now they are too small for his maw. I am afraid he will choke. Kong Brand does make a bunch of bigger toys that are covered in the tennis ball fuzz. He loves to delicately peel back the fuzz with his front teeth. AND they have squeakers. He still has to be watched with those; he goes for the squeakers first, gets those out, then goes about chewing off chunks of the rubber. We thought he was just Cookie Monstering it (chewing and the pieces fall out the side of his mouth) but today I caught him chewing a sizable piece of the tennis ball like it was chewing gum.
The only, ONLY, toy that is has not been able to destroy is the black rubber Kong. The red one? Shredded.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Poor Form.
I procrastinated. I avoided. I meant to. I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. I thought it was maybe late October. I knew it was bad when I couldn't remember what my log in password was to Blogger.
Poor form.
Let's see:
-The test. Remember when I said I would be embarrassed if I didn't pass the test because it was all social studies content and I TEACH social studies and I should pass with flying colors and I don't need to study, it's social studies content for Cripes Sake? (Should it be troubling that I just read "sake" as Sah-Kay".....as in the Japanese alcohol and it is not even 8 am? Hmmmm.) Back to the test. Yep. Didn't pass. I thought I did just fine, the writing could have gone better (But I thought that about the GREs last spring and that was my best score, so I didn't get too wrapped up in beating myself up)...but the social studies content stuff I did fine. I think. I have also been meaning to send the fax requesting the test results to see just where I bombed it. There was other stuff on the test that I could have been more prepared for. Eh. I can take it again next year....and I don't know, maybe study for this next time? It will always be there.
-We put up a fence. You don't even know---well, some of you do---how gleeful this makes me. A bit of privacy from the many, many, many children that live in the cul-de-sac we share with 8 townhomes. Don't get me wrong....I like kids (teacher---remember?) but not 25+ screaming and crying and whining and yelling and crashing bikes and trying to destroy anything and everything with a plastic baseball bat.......all 20 feet from our house. Personal fave: Playing Frisbee with a metal garbage can lid. I kid you not. If I wanted that, I would have moved into a house next to an elementary school. Or a penitentiary. So, a privacy fence to block sight and much of the sound-----the true test will be this spring when it warms up-----does a world of wonders.
-Lionel is huge. He is almost 8 months and we estimate just under 100 lbs. Leviathan. He still tries to walk under the dining room table even though he clearly can walk up to it and his chin is above the table top. There is zero struggle to rest his chin on the table or take something from our plates, should he so choose to do. We are thinking he will stop gaining height soon and just start filling out. He is lanky. He also celebrated Thanksgiving the traditional way by getting neutered. You're welcome?
-School seems to not be kickin' my ass so much anymore. We may or may not have had a conversation about "not having to hit a homerun everyday" with school. MY response was "Oh, believe me, I am not trying to do that. I am just trying to keep my head above water and not give worksheets and show movies everyday." I think something sunk in, or I got into a groove, and it doesn't seem to be taking all my time. Many changes this year:
1. A new schedule going from 3 class periods to teach to five class periods (60+ more students' work to grade)
2. 2 brand new classes to teach that I have never taught before, and 1 class I have taught before, but not on this schedule (Also switching the pacing from semester to full year classes) and not with the new textbook. This is the largest part of the the time commitment. Planning is fun, but not all the time. I mean ALL the time.
3. Teaming where four teachers share the same 150-ish kids. So, we have lots of meetings about our kids that are struggling, misbehaving, going through traumatic experiences, meeting with parents, meeting with the counselor, meeting with the administration.
There are lots of meetings.
4. Freshmen. New to our school, previously we were 10-12, now we are 9-12. Three classes of them. On a good day, in a good mood, I love their energy and enthusiasm. I love their puppy-ness. Lanky, awkward, goofy, sweet, insightful, still "get into" school, naive, fresh. On a not so good day, when I am in a not so good frame of mind, they bug. That lanky and awkward turns into clumsy and accident prone, goody become irritating, sweet becomes not so, and so on. They become less fresh and become more of energy vampires. I have said a lot of things I never pictured myself saying while teaching high school. For example:
-"Were you unaware that he was coloring your arm yellow with a marker?" (Literally, the entire arm was colored yellow from a sharpie. Fingertip to ELBOW. The response to my query: "I wasn't really paying attention." SERIOUSLY?!?!?! You have no space to complain about it unless you are numb from the shoulder down. In which case, a yellow arm is the least of my concerns. Go to the nurse.)
-"At what point did you all agree that it would be a good idea to play "Ninja" in my classroom?"
-"There is NO air shanking in World History class! Period."
-"No, you actually are not allowed to cut her ponytail off."
-"Seriously. Even if she says it is okay. No. End of discussion. This is a World History class room, not a hair salon."
-"SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?" There are lots of these. Not that I would ever picture myself not saying this......it is the frequency with which I say it and the tone of actual (not fake, just for effect) disbelief that is adopted upon utterance of said phrase.
-"Alright. Who is carpet bombing my room with flatulence?" Lies; I didn't ACTUALLY say this. But, believe me, there has been a stretch of two weeks here where some has had some serious gastrointestinal issues. I know who it is, but how do you have that conversation??? I know, because they have been audible---during the time I am lecturing and they are all blessedly quiet----so I know who it is by the studied, rapt attention of the perp as well as the tittering going on in the immediate vicinity. (You want to make an entire room of 14 year old boys giggle? Have someone fart. Done and done.) My response: "Alright, enough. I am aware of it. Let's move on." Everyone else who is unaware of what is happening (very few of the students): "What? What happened? What are you talking about?" And then all looking around like prairie dogs popping out of their holes.
Pray for me. Just.....pray for me.
Poor form.
Let's see:
-The test. Remember when I said I would be embarrassed if I didn't pass the test because it was all social studies content and I TEACH social studies and I should pass with flying colors and I don't need to study, it's social studies content for Cripes Sake? (Should it be troubling that I just read "sake" as Sah-Kay".....as in the Japanese alcohol and it is not even 8 am? Hmmmm.) Back to the test. Yep. Didn't pass. I thought I did just fine, the writing could have gone better (But I thought that about the GREs last spring and that was my best score, so I didn't get too wrapped up in beating myself up)...but the social studies content stuff I did fine. I think. I have also been meaning to send the fax requesting the test results to see just where I bombed it. There was other stuff on the test that I could have been more prepared for. Eh. I can take it again next year....and I don't know, maybe study for this next time? It will always be there.
-We put up a fence. You don't even know---well, some of you do---how gleeful this makes me. A bit of privacy from the many, many, many children that live in the cul-de-sac we share with 8 townhomes. Don't get me wrong....I like kids (teacher---remember?) but not 25+ screaming and crying and whining and yelling and crashing bikes and trying to destroy anything and everything with a plastic baseball bat.......all 20 feet from our house. Personal fave: Playing Frisbee with a metal garbage can lid. I kid you not. If I wanted that, I would have moved into a house next to an elementary school. Or a penitentiary. So, a privacy fence to block sight and much of the sound-----the true test will be this spring when it warms up-----does a world of wonders.
-Lionel is huge. He is almost 8 months and we estimate just under 100 lbs. Leviathan. He still tries to walk under the dining room table even though he clearly can walk up to it and his chin is above the table top. There is zero struggle to rest his chin on the table or take something from our plates, should he so choose to do. We are thinking he will stop gaining height soon and just start filling out. He is lanky. He also celebrated Thanksgiving the traditional way by getting neutered. You're welcome?
-School seems to not be kickin' my ass so much anymore. We may or may not have had a conversation about "not having to hit a homerun everyday" with school. MY response was "Oh, believe me, I am not trying to do that. I am just trying to keep my head above water and not give worksheets and show movies everyday." I think something sunk in, or I got into a groove, and it doesn't seem to be taking all my time. Many changes this year:
1. A new schedule going from 3 class periods to teach to five class periods (60+ more students' work to grade)
2. 2 brand new classes to teach that I have never taught before, and 1 class I have taught before, but not on this schedule (Also switching the pacing from semester to full year classes) and not with the new textbook. This is the largest part of the the time commitment. Planning is fun, but not all the time. I mean ALL the time.
3. Teaming where four teachers share the same 150-ish kids. So, we have lots of meetings about our kids that are struggling, misbehaving, going through traumatic experiences, meeting with parents, meeting with the counselor, meeting with the administration.
There are lots of meetings.
4. Freshmen. New to our school, previously we were 10-12, now we are 9-12. Three classes of them. On a good day, in a good mood, I love their energy and enthusiasm. I love their puppy-ness. Lanky, awkward, goofy, sweet, insightful, still "get into" school, naive, fresh. On a not so good day, when I am in a not so good frame of mind, they bug. That lanky and awkward turns into clumsy and accident prone, goody become irritating, sweet becomes not so, and so on. They become less fresh and become more of energy vampires. I have said a lot of things I never pictured myself saying while teaching high school. For example:
-"Were you unaware that he was coloring your arm yellow with a marker?" (Literally, the entire arm was colored yellow from a sharpie. Fingertip to ELBOW. The response to my query: "I wasn't really paying attention." SERIOUSLY?!?!?! You have no space to complain about it unless you are numb from the shoulder down. In which case, a yellow arm is the least of my concerns. Go to the nurse.)
-"At what point did you all agree that it would be a good idea to play "Ninja" in my classroom?"
-"There is NO air shanking in World History class! Period."
-"No, you actually are not allowed to cut her ponytail off."
-"Seriously. Even if she says it is okay. No. End of discussion. This is a World History class room, not a hair salon."
-"SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?" There are lots of these. Not that I would ever picture myself not saying this......it is the frequency with which I say it and the tone of actual (not fake, just for effect) disbelief that is adopted upon utterance of said phrase.
-"Alright. Who is carpet bombing my room with flatulence?" Lies; I didn't ACTUALLY say this. But, believe me, there has been a stretch of two weeks here where some has had some serious gastrointestinal issues. I know who it is, but how do you have that conversation??? I know, because they have been audible---during the time I am lecturing and they are all blessedly quiet----so I know who it is by the studied, rapt attention of the perp as well as the tittering going on in the immediate vicinity. (You want to make an entire room of 14 year old boys giggle? Have someone fart. Done and done.) My response: "Alright, enough. I am aware of it. Let's move on." Everyone else who is unaware of what is happening (very few of the students): "What? What happened? What are you talking about?" And then all looking around like prairie dogs popping out of their holes.
Pray for me. Just.....pray for me.
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