Sunday, May 31, 2015

more rainbows and butterflies and hummingbirds and a little peruvian shaming

if you are a regular, you know that i need white noise or ocean to sleep soundly. i forgot my noise-machine, and the a/c would kick on and off, so finally i found an am frequency on the radio that was static--white noise...yes, i did. (don't knock it, i slept well). i needed to sleep well so that i could take advantage of day 2 of #teamsfest!

i walked into the meeting room for breakfast, and there was a list on the screen of the different tables having very specific, targeted conversations for  people to join in. well, i looked around and saw spaces at table 9, and so it seemed to beckon to me-i was not disappointed. our conversation had NOTHING to do with the topics listed...we were the unofficial life-discussions table. everything from survival prep, developing land, childhood memories...funny, fun, real...just good 'ol get-to-know-you conversation.

once breakfast was finished and sessions were beginning, andrea and i did the divide-and-conquer, by attending separate sessions. the first session that i went to was about being a better facilitator and working on figuring out how to really get people to go deeper in conversation and responses within our learning plans-this will be crucial for growth as we move into using these teams for our plc-pd set-up. paul and liz did a great job presenting and sharing information, then had us use the inquiry of practice with a colleague-the format really is valuable in helping to flesh out ideas and bring possible opportunities to light. one that we will be borrowing at home!

during this session i was paired with kristen-who, i learned, is a science coaching consultant/research. i thoroughly enjoyed conversation with her because she is very thoughtful, logical and articulate, which is why it was a bit of a relief to find that she was in the next session with me as well. the second session was a strategy session, and kicking it up a notch, WHAT'S NEXT, if you will. this session was led by erika nielson andrew, and it was stellar. it was really just a facilitated group effort to share out ideas of what has worked for each of us to implement teams, and then move into a conversation about fostering deeper learning within teams. the practice of writing if/then statements was good for me, because it helped to clarify by seeing it in that format and to really think about the cause/effect relationship that we need to think about as we plan for our goals. kristen and i ended up having another really good discussion about importance of video choice and how to train teachers to really choose good, coachable video-what is good material that we can really use to challenge ourselves and push us to the next level, as opposed to showing clips that really don't allow for critique. it's not about showing our best side, it's about knowing that we are coming to the table vulnerable, yet safe, in order to get better. kristen, thank you for pushing my thinking, and providing more opportunities for growth!

after that session, i did become the proud owner of a cotton candy-maker sticker badge! it was completely unexpected, because it was given for doing what comes naturally-helping move tables, getting materials together and disseminated for late-comers, creating and nurturing community, etc. so back to the stickers-while it was encouraging to receive them, it was even more fulfilling to give them and be on the alert for the good things that people were doing! i was able to give out almost all of them-again, what a GREAT idea! 

giving compliments freely does not diminish the amazingness of you...in fact, truth be told, people who give compliments freely (and i mean sincere compliments that are specific) are the people who make us feel the best about ourselves-and who doesn't want to be around that? BE THAT PERSON!! don't be greedy with compliments, as it does not take-away from the greatness of who you are!

so...i got back to lunch a little later than normal because our conversation spilled over a little into that time. no worries...my body was getting plenty of nourishment. lunch was fabulous, and the cake afterward..seriously. andrea and i were able to use the next hour and a half working together and looking at 'what next.' during that time, paul came over and joined us and again posed questions and thoughts to push our thinking. good conversation, and we were able to get a plan started. we are much closer to a plan for strategic roll-out, as we pushed it out so quickly and have been more in the proto-typing phase with select teachers up to this point. it will be imperative that when we do share the vision campus-wide, that we are able to do it in such a way the minimizes any confusion or anxiety about getting started. we are excited about it! (i think i can say we). i know i am!

the closing ceremony was a sharing circle. huge props to everyone at tch-from logistics, planning, presenting, supporting, everyone had a role to play, and they all did it with rainbows and sunshine. thank you, teaching channel!

the rest of the afternoon was very relaxed. i went back to my room and got my book to enjoy somewhere outside, and proceeded toward the gift shop to purchase a diet coke. i was utterly disappointed to see the shop was closed, so i stood in line at the front counter for a few minutes. while i was waiting, a manager approached me and asked if i was checking in. when i told him i was merely going to ask where i might purchase a diet coke, he offered to go fetch one for me. what great customer service-and completely unexpected! so he took off, and when he came back, he said, "i hope diet pepsi is ok" my first thought was to a post i had shared on FB; i think he saw the crestfallen look on my face, and he said, "i know it's not the same..." so i just smiled graciously and thanked him because 1. he'd gone out of his way to help (above and beyond is what i put on the comment card), and 2. it was free (don't look a gift horse in the mouth...). so i took my diet pepsi and my book and found a spot to sit and look out on the marina-it was a wonderful way to reboot-i need more of this. nature is my reset mechanism! 
beauty-truly thankful for nature!!
after a bit, i headed back to the room to prepare for the evening-we had decided to go grab some grub and see the area. when i text andrea, she was plenty ready, so we went down to ask at the front desk where might be a good place to spend a couple of hours and get a feel for the area. we had been thinking san fran, but he said there really wasn't enough time to enjoy all that-the amount of time to get there and back-not worth it. no worries! so he directed us to durant and telegraph. and andrea set up her uber app and we patiently waited for tito. tito made a good first impression for uber (our first time), in fact, he was so impressed with himself, that he gave himself 5 out of 5 stars as he showed us how to work the app. we spent some time walking down the main drag and there was a little bit of everything! 
corn-kernel things....

salsa-stuff for hotties
we walked for about 10-15 minutes until hunger got the best of us. we were nearing the end of the 'strip' when we found a little alcove with a few restaurants. there was an ethiopian, swiss fondue and peruvian. we ended up on peruvian, although it would've been nice to try all three! there was a little introductory bowl of overcooked corn kernels (similar to corn-nuts, only they don't break your teeth), and a teeny-tiny doll-bowl of green salsa with an equally minute spoon...this should be an indicator. inferring people might infer that either A. this bowl is served in anticipation of little people babies coming to dine, or B. one should partake cautiously, in amounts proportional to this itty bitty spoon, because this particular sauce has been imported from the devil himself, straight from the gates of hell. 

we had sides of platano and yucca, because you cannot go central or south american cuisine without...it would be a mockery. the main dish of milanesa chicken-delicious. my mistake was not telling the lady up front that it was separate checks. i mean..she TOTALLY gave me the stink-eye when i asked if i could get a receipt...she pretty much shamed me-she needs to read the book DARING GREATLY-particularly the chapter that we read-chapter 6. anyhoo, the way she said it, led me to believe that no, she was not going to make a receipt for me, so i just did my best thin-lipped slow-nod that slowly turns into a slow head-shake of disbelief with the eyes closed slightly longer than a blink, and back to a nod, and said, "great. no worries. that's ok." i'm that disgruntled customer that will not put up a fight-i'll just stew over it and walk out-i may or may not tell people about the experience afterward...i had already paid cash and left a hefty tip before this episode, so i was rather surprised when we walked out and she was hurriedly writing up another receipt for me-i had just mentally accepted the fact that this was a meal that i was not going to get reimbursed for, and was fine with it. i did feel a little silly about being so upset over her response- it was just a meal. this is where i need to remember what taylor-from momentous told us-8 seconds for an emotion to roll over...unless you dwell on it. the more you dwell on it the more it will eat you up!

we continued on our journey up the street and we were graced with the sighting of a hummingbird-who was gracious enough to stick around and wait for me to get a good pic! 
it's not every day i get to see a hummingbird! i had to read an article about them, and they are amazing!

we stopped in specially for andrea to get something for her hubby-he's a bicycle mechanic and works at a specialty store, so she knew he would appreciate this! and it made me think of one of my cyclist friends-jackie!
we passed several quaint little shops, tattoo parlors-we TOTALLY could have gotten TCH tats. but we didn't and andrea wasn't up for making memories by getting a free piercing. we stopped at a walgreens-no magazines, a bakery that had nothing that appealed to me enough to fill the tiny amount of space that was left for dessert..somehow dried beef buns and such didn't fit the bill..neither did the cookie house. i mean, it was going to have to be something special. fortunately the final stop-the yogurt place where we were originally dropped off had what my palate was craving-SALTED CARAMEL CORN yogurt! and andrea was taken with the SNICKERDOODLE. the girl behind the counter asked if i wanted toppings...  BLASPHEMER! or as gollum famously said: YOU RUINS IT! great way to end the evening!

 the 2nd uber ride was even better than the first-we were greeted by a friendly gentleman who has been in the berkeley area since '89 (i believe he said) now that we were seasoned uber travelers, the ride back was quite pleasant. we returned to the hotel around 9 (like my awesome tch table 9..keep the theme going!). plenty of time to pack up for the trip home saturday. we were so fortunate to be connected with another texas group who had rented a car, and we were going to ride to the airport with them the next morning, as we were on the same flight! 

i may or may not have stood in my bathroom before going to bed and turned the hairdryer on high-using it as a space heater directed at my body...i knew i couldn't stay in the bathroom all night, and it wasn't wise to run the hairdryer without supervision under the covers...even if i could plug it into the lamp electrical socket, so i finally gave in and turned the heat up-yes, i turned on the heater to get the temp up to 75....as i said yesterday, i can't handle the cold....6:45 flight would come early, so i got straight to bed-once again, with the am-radio-white-noise static! 

julie

Saturday, May 30, 2015

in the words of a wise woman, sandy (cough,cough): TCH is rainbows and butterflies...but for REAL! and i wouldn't have it any other way!

4:30 am came early on thursday (as i'm certain it does on any day, only this day i had to be the one to experience it). THAT SAID, i made it to the airport-only to miss the turn to get into the BEST parking lot, and it was impossible to turn around and get back there in a timely fashion, so i just parked in the airport long term and hiked it to the terminal. fortunately love field is not a large airport, so the hike wasn't like through the sahara, around the pyramids, traversing the nile...just an elevator and loooooong hallway-walkway.

the first leg of the flight was meh. nothing to shout about (besides, shouting anything ridiculous on an airplane tends to throw people into fits of nervousness and get you thrown off the plane).

the second leg of the flight was great-it just started out well, because the flight crew was all smiles and super friendly. from the safety talk during which the flight attendant so vigorously opened the safety instructions that she tore it in half and began laughing, to the complete happiness factor that they exuded, it was obvious that they thoroughly enjoyed their work! and nothing is more refreshing than being around people who enjoy their work-it is contagious! i left a note of appreciation, but more importantly, after the flight, i went to the company website to leave a compliment for the crew.
thank you smilers and laughers of southwest-you are invigorating! i wish i could drink a pound of your coffee to help peru!
we took a taxi from oakland to berkeley...$56-talk about highway robbery-literally! thank you, susan for picking up the tab- our rooms weren't ready, so we just checked into the teaching channel registration; this was our second #teamsfest, and it was great to see so many familiar faces! being creatures of habit, at first it was a little unnerving being sat at a table apart from my peeps-strategic planning. but as always, they know best, and it was really good for me to get to know this group of individuals. they had a lot to offer! i was assigned to table 9 (back-o-the-bus)...and i knew no one. so there was some small talk amidst the act of trying to stay warm. let me back up. the convention was at the doubletree marina in berkeley, ca.

i was expecting the weather to be a bit warmer during the day. but it was nothing like dfw (i don't know if that is good or bad...the verdict is still out). while i am thankful that the humidity wasn't an issue, it was almost frigid on day one-upper 50's, lower 60's with a slight breeze (i swear it felt like -23` F- dramatic enough?)...it's ok, i'll own up to the fact that i've become a warmth snob..i have difficulties with cold weather (and to think i used to de-ice planes in sub-zero temps- it's almost shameful!). and what did they offer for drinks? ice tea and ice water. BUT NO COFFEE! i asked the waiter about it, but he said coffee would be served with dessert, later. i wanted to cry. by this time, sandy had joined us-she works with the teaching channel (tch); i was thrilled-someone i related to! (not someone i am related to...but someone who i could laugh with and say stupid things like, "i need to get coffee, otherwise it's going to be a little awkward for people seeing me with my hands in my crotch trying to keep warm," and not be judged). i think that prompted her to suggest we go purchase some coffee because she wanted to save me the embarrassment... i'm glad we were able to find the shop with coffee because i didn't bring my hot-hands hand warmers. sandy was so gracious and offered to buy andrea's and my coffee-which while it may seem a little thing, she didn't really even know us, nor was she obligated in any way to do so. her spirit of generosity exemplifies the spirit of tch.
the view-worth the chill! if you look closely, you can see the skyline behind the boats.

we took 'family pics' with our texas peeps-4 different groups of us! and then we were begged and coerced into playing yard darts (lawn darts?)  for prizes...um we were terrible. in fact the gal in charge (lindsey? lauren? she wasn't a table 9 regular, so i didn't catch her name-sigh) but yeah, she had to keep changing the rules for us so that someone could get a prize...in fact, she ended up just having to GIVE us the prize bag. we are lawn-dart losers...don't shame us. WE DID THAT ON OUR OWN!! HA!
i mean...at least we tried..right? that's gotta count for something!
once pics were done, we were herded into the building to follow-the-leader to the conference meeting area. umm...it was a maze. it felt almost like i was in the movie labyrinth, and david bowie, hoggle, sir didymus and ludo were going to jump out at a moments notice! we made it safely to the conference room, where erika neilson andrew immediately led us into the kick-off! she is such a cruise director! (and ring master).

we kicked it off with a quick pecha kucha-which is exactly what it sounds like. ok, seriously, it's an intro to all of the teams present, and what they are working on. we also viewed my favorite lone-nut video from ted talks-LOVE it! and we also viewed the video of austin's butterfly-another fave! so at this point, i was batting 2 for 2! great way to start the conference! this was followed by a wonderful excerpt from DARING GREATLY, which i believe i will need to purchase, because i was really taken with what we read. i would highly recommend it to anyone in any type of leadership position-education, business, parenting...anything! very powerful and informative.

this session ended with some brief introductory comments, and we were graced with a special greeting from Pat Wasley, CEO (with a vision-)of TCH. one of the things she said was: Group leadership-helping each other to achieve success is going to get us further and allow for greater wins than "one-man" leaders. i paraphrased, but this is what i love so much about these teamfests-it is such a variety of education-oriented people, from different levels and walks, from different regions, with different viewpoints, and everyone brings something to the table-with a desire to help everyone else get better and develop and think through. it's like an education/pd think tank.

before i get too far, i would be remiss if i failed to mention one of my favorite parts of the whole event! the STICKER BADGES!!! what a great idea!!! totally bringing that back to my campus!! so, the sticker badges were designated for different strengths. there were table tents, posters and a sheet in our folder to give us the definitions and meanings for each sticker. the whole idea is just to be stinkin' encouraging and looking for other peoples' strengths and giving away these sticker compliments freely! which let's face it, we do NOT do enough of in our culture...but once again, this is totally TCH culture...rainbows and butterflies, as sandy so aptly described it! this is something i truly appreciate about tch-they are some of the "nicest people around," as andrea put it. they "GET" teachers and education, and their desire to partner with different groups in different capacities in order to ultimately impact students is simply unparalleled. 
warm fuzzies...rainbows and butterflies
there was a brief break, then we broke out into curtain openers-which allowed participants to see the practice of different teams and what the problems were to address. andrea, susan and i were part of this session. we were able to share our learning plan and how we were trying to put together a video pd-cycle for our campus next year. the best thing about it was the process. as we shared and talked about it in the presentation, we were able to process even more-it brought deeper problems to the surface and we were able to self identify potential issues! so we began doing some of our own critical thinking while our peers looked through our plans, then we were able to take in their feedback-positive and growth opportunities and questions to ponder-this really helped us as we move into the process of refining (continual)...but seriously, this was so helpful to us! thought partners are the best kind! so after this session, i received a couple of stickers for allowing people to peek in on our practice, and also for being a promoter of teams and learning deeply...i feel that we have a lot deeper to go-which i will get into with part 2...but this ended our sessions for day one...off to check in and get ready for dinner!

we piled onto a bus at 6pm and headed over to jack london square; i believe the restaurant was bocanova- a swanky little joint on the waterfront. delectable! i am pretty sure i ate more than i should've. i tried everything except the salad, because...well, let's be real, why waste space on salad when there are so many other delicacies?! LOVED the flat iron steak, platano with shredded beef, and even the scallops, which is a first (i've never had a scallop i liked until that evening...well played, oakland, well played). as for locating the restrooms...i suggest gps..i think the same architect that designed the hotel we were staying at designed this place...come on california, keep it simple...putting a row of closets down the hallway that leads to the bathroom just makes me want to check behind each door to see if it's a stall...i did highly recommend taking bread crumbs with to those who ventured out to the bathroom after me. fortunately everyone made it back safe and sound. 
i'll take a crate of these to go, please!
i was disappointed with myself for not going out to the karaoke party that night back at the hotel, but we were running on empty from such an early morning!i got over the disappointment (remember, all of this happened on  thursday). i slept like a rock. no shame! 

the fun didn't end there! tune in for day 2 tomorrow!

julie

Saturday, May 23, 2015

instruments for subluxations, blood-pressure kit and a hanger for the car keys

well, i did it. i went to the chiropractor, and they took x-rays and used some equipment designed by NASA to detect heat spots in my spine-which indicate possible subluxations (pinched or irritated nerves). this particular day, i walked into the office, and there was no one there, except bradley-who, looks kinda' like big boy only with orange-ish hair. i hate to say it, but he kinda' drove me nuts.
main entrance-it's a fairly new practice
  when we were in the room where they pulled out the NASA equipment, it seemed like he was really trying to sell a used car. i said something that made him think of a joke, only it was from a stand-up comedian act, and when he tried to set it up and explain that part, then told the joke prefaced by "it was something like..." i should have known i would have to break out the fake smile and fake laugh. when he started to talk to me like a kid, i was really annoyed. he actually tried a CLOZE sentence with me, where he said something and trailed off at the end, leaning in to let me know i was supposed to fill in the blank. pretty sure he said: "so, if you know that it isn't helping, it's..._______" so i gave him my annoyed look and answered with my 'are you really doing this right now' voice: HARMING?. conversation didn't get better the longer he went on. finally the doctor came in to do the x-rays and she was normal.

what i noticed was that the appliques on the walls were slightly off centered or just 'not-quite straight' enough that a discerning eye would notice. not that i'm judging...but yes, i am kinda' judging. before i left, i was given the appointment card for the follow-up visit:
it's CRUCIAL to bring a spouse or a loved one! (not one of the three of us that showed up had a spouse or loved one with us...)

then i went back in to hear the recommendations and all goes along with that. it took a good 60-90 minutes. there were 3 other new patients, so the doc gave her introduction and like a powerpoint presentation of what chiropractic is, and how she got involved-her story, if you will. and then each person went back for the individual consultation. well...my x-rays showed what my body feels like, so i wasn't totally surprised.

i'd hoped that the back surgery a couple years back would've taken care of everything, but unfortunately during the past school year, my back has been getting progressively worse. 

all sorts of interesting stuff going on in there! anyhoo, she said i was a good candidate and thought they would really be able to help (of course, i am certain they say this to everyone). BUT at this point, i just need my body to agree with me. i think part of the reason i don't get out and do things i really enjoy is because my body has been working against me, and i've just resigned myself to that for too long. i have a pretty high threshold for pain, but it'd gotten to the point where bending over to put on socks or pick something up off the ground hurt- i'm too young for that-

i need to get back to doing the things i love again.

so i started to think about all of the things could have contributed to all of this...

  • falling from the top of the tornado slide-kindergarten
  • makeshift high jump in our backyard in teguc and i totally over-jumped the mat and landed flat on my back-wind knocked out of me. 
  • various roller-blading spills
  • 1 major car crash and 2 minor accidents (which messed up the cars)
  • falling jumping from an 8 foot retaining wall on a rainy night and falling (first acl tear)
  • missing my footing on a jump in a cave and falling on back from about 8-10 ft
  • airlines-lifting, stacking heavy suitcases and trunks because no one can travel with bags lighter than the 50 lb limit...apparently
  • being independent- getting a futon up to the 3rd floor alone, moving a love-seat down from the 3rd floor-and across the parking lot, rearranging/completely moving everything in the apt two times in two weeks when they did the floors...alone
i'm pretty sure there are other things i am missing, but that's probably a pretty good start. so i will be seeing the chiropractor regularly- it takes 20 minutes to get there, on a good day, and only 5 minutes for them to do their part...so yes, 40 minutes of travel for a 5 minute adjustment. worth it-the drive is relaxing for me.

so, they did the first adjustment the same day. the alternate doc was there, and he did the adjustment. he went in to ask dr. bri where the 'instrument' was. i'm sure this instrument has a name, but they just call it the instrument-i wonder if it just has a weird name, or they cannot pronounce it. i suppose if i were an inventor and could patent a device, i would call it something like the flickinbickenmcklickenspicken device...then people would always refer to it as 'THE DEVICE,' as well. 
so yeah, i did just look it up, and it's called the  impulse adjusting instrument ...anyhoo-hopefully the whole sock and tying the shoe thing gets better with the next few visits! 

new subject-bruno had his acl surgery! poor buddy...his leg looks like frankenstein's monster. he's doing pretty well. the good thing is that he is not a jumpy energetic one, so he's pretty good about lying down and resting, although there have been a couple of times that i've caught him contemplating a jump and stopped him. constant supervision. boys! so if i can't keep an eye on him, i have to cage him up. chaco may be a little jealous. "why can't i have a surgery?" "why can't i wear a cone?" i thought about going out and buying one for him so he doesn't feel so left out. not really, because that would be odd behavior...

tuesday is the final reveal for our secret pals at school-good times. it's been fun-i love doing stuff like this. there is something fun about giving. (only not when it's like giving taxes, or giving money to bruno's doctors)... 

and i decided to try the more minimalistic approach with dressing during the week for school. my own uniform, if you will. going with khaki/tan pants and black shirt. easy. so on monday, i found some pants that i really like the fit of at dress barn. unfortunately they only had one pair and they couldn't order online. so she checked some other stores in the metroplex and found a store with 2 pair, so they ordered them to be delivered. i then got in my car and went to walmart because the target had closed down and i wasn't aware. 

after pulling in, i got out of my car and was walking away and remembered i needed something from the trunk. so i reached for my keys to open the trunk...they weren't there. nope, once again-story of my life-locked them in my car! WHAT IN THE WORLD??! so of course, i had to stay with my car while i waited for the man to come and break into my car. it took him 45 minutes to get there and all of 1 minute and 42 seconds (approx) to unlock my door. boo. so i watched carefully and i think if i got myself a blood pressure kit, i could do the same thing. pump that sucker up, give myself the space to get a hanger in there and pop the lock! no problem-i could TOTALLY do it! they don't call me mcgeyver for nothing.
right there. there they are. just on the other side of that glass. just sittin there. STUPID KEYS!!!!
so i did use my time well-i took loose carts to the corral, and offered to take carts from people who were nearby to pass the time. when i wasn't being useful, i was leaning against the car trying to look cool. new trend-hanging out by your car at walmart-it's "IN." just ask the cool kids. so there was that. i got home much later than i had planned that night. double-boo. 

and i said i was going to try the whole liquid-water color paints- i decided to go with neutral shades...yes i do need to adjust the pics with a level. i was too lazy. like the peeps at the chiropractor office (only i don't have to unpeel these from the wall).
from my favorite song on the GARDEN STATE soundtrack
i made it through field day yesterday. i cannot believe i didn't get any pics! it was brutal. we did hockey shots in the gym. the pre-k kids had never held a stick, so it was a great little motor-skills event for them. i had on my fake smile and enthusiasm all day long... and that was exhausting!! BUT the kids had a blast, and that's what really matters! 

this thursday, it's off to berkeley, ca for our little teamsfest, teaching channel escapade! it should be really good for us- lots of valuable information and ideas for next steps and how to be really successful implementing this more personalized pd next year in a way that really benefits all of our staff. THAT is what i am looking forward to.

alright, enjoy your memorial day weekend, take time to honor those who have served and given their lives for our freedom-heroes.

julie

Saturday, May 16, 2015

i scared the people at home depot so much they gave me a discount!

well, as promised yesterday, today i went to the dallas isd health fair. not because i was particularly trying to be healthy... see, the district had an initiative this year. if you are able to amass a certain amount of points, you will receive a $500 bonus. so i currently fall within the parameters, and should be receiving that check, now that i've gone to the fair.

so, the fair. i was given a card to take around to the various booths for initials. of course part of that involves talking to the people at the booths. every time i found a booth that was something i already do/have, it was like a wave of relief that they couldn't try to sell me something. (health fair anxiety). the only one that i was actually interested in was the chiropractic group. i actually set an appointment to go see them on the 26th, so hopefully they can help me out!
for going to the health fair, they discount it to $20 for the eval and consult
 so i checked out their site, and apparently they use space technology-what does that even mean? space technology for my back...hmm. what am i getting myself into? whatever-if it helps my back to get back to normal, they can have aliens come down and walk on it...just sayin.
 yes, they had give-aways. i will have to go through and look at the papers i received and see if there is anything worth looking into. and now i have a few more goodies to throw into our goodie box at school! they had some great kid things, some exercising going on, raffles-there were even some massage chairs! i wonder how many employees actually participated; it didn't look like many were there, but it is kind of an in-and-out event. i really hope several people attended, as it really did have some useful stuff!
 probably one of the best things they offered was the health screening. i don't get to the doc as often as i should. so now i know my blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure...woohoo! i had no idea when i got in that line that i was going to have my blood siphoned out of my finger. maybe before i went in for the cholesterol screening, i should have started my day with nuts and an avocado instead of two pieces of bacon and an egg! :-/  WAwahh.
what a prick!
on the way back, i stopped at home depot to get those materials for the garden!
i walked into the plant-area, looking for olla pots, and they had several terracotta planting pots, but no ollas. when i asked the girl at the cash register, and tried to explain what i was looking for, she looked at me like i was asking her for a lamborghini.. so she looked for another guy and said he might know, so he was looking for the planters...and the lady said, "oh, i think i know what you mean, i have one in my window sill with a plant in it!" and i was sorry to burst her bubble, but i shook my head and said, "no. no, you don't put plants IN it, you bury it in the garden bed and fill it with water and the water seeps out gradually and evenly into the soil around it." again she had the clueless look, and they decided that there was one person who might know of what i was speaking. so when i found her and asked, she knew what i was talking about, but unfortunately, they didn't have any of these receptacles. sad face.

so i went inside and got other materials i was in need of, and had martin cut some pvc to the right length for the beds. when i went up to the front to pay, courtney, the cashier was great. another employee was walking by and struck up conversation: looks like someone has some fun plans around the house! when i explained that i actually work for the school and we are always looking for volunteers to come help out, she said, "oh, you work at a school? like a teacher or something?" yep. so she told courtney to ring up an additional percentage off through a local group discount because they were gonna help out Cabell today! 

i'm pretty sure she felt sorry for me or was a little frightened of me. i say that only because when i went into the bathroom, while waiting for the rest of the pvc pipe to be cut, i looked in the mirror and scared myself. it was humid in dallas today...must i elaborate? my hair is riDIculous when it is humid out! and today was no exception-fly-away, frizzy! i believe the discount was an additional 10%; she probably would have liked to give me more because i looked beat up with that hair! so i made sure to fill out a survey and do a review for them. smiles. i am especially excited about the trimmers. i cannot wait to try them out!! i may go in early monday just for that! #gardennerd

and when i got home today, i did go back and try another glue/watercolor painting on canvas-i think i need to make two more to flank this one. i like the way it turned out.
yum
that kinda wraps it up-tomorrow will be much more relaxing than today-that makes me smile!

finish the weekend well!
julie

Friday, May 15, 2015

my food coloring is gnome-match for watercolors...and what's up with the affix resources?

tried some watercolor fun this week-tried using food coloring, but i wasn't impressed with the final product, so i purchased some liquid watercolor. tried out the glue/watercolor effect- i may try it again when i have a minute.
yep. gnome food coloring. his face was still on from the last experience...so i updated him.
this morning as i was on my way out the gate, i noticed this sign-they sell cheap pizza from picasso's in front of the main office on fridays. but the sign leaves something to be desired...like maybe.. an understanding of prepositions: - until= through until...how does that work? now, i haven't purchased their pizza this way, in fact, i usually try to avoid eye contact as i get my mail. a few weeks back the kid yelled over at me, "hey! sure you don't want some pizza?" we were in the middle of our weight loss challenge at school, so i yelled back at him. pretty sure it was something lame like, "i can't- i'm in a weight loss contest," but i'm pretty sure it would have been more interesting if i'd said something like, "why's everybody always picking on the fat kid?" or "when you fix your sign, i'll buy your pizza!" hmm.
one of these fridays
 i am currently in a slight dilemma. one of the items that we purchased to help students with their prefixes and suffixes looks like human anatomy..ok, let's just go ahead and say it. it looks a little like a big toe. um. who came up with these things? i am trying to figure out how i can manipulate the item to create something that looks less like...a big toe. kinda' at a loss. i fear our 3-5th graders will never forget what prefixes and suffixes are! and they will tell the story to their grandchildren around the campfire after singing kum-by-ya...
pretty sure whoever designed this concept did it right after they got their walking papers just to spite the company.
 thursday night i went to the last garden coordinator meeting of the year. it was really good. i loved the lesson. it was really about finding evidence and gathering as much evidence as possible if you wanted to come up with the best inference, or even to be able to prove your fact. really good, using trees and insects-two separate lessons.
they use these olla pots to water their gardens now. so we may be at the point soon where it would be wise to make the switch. 
 i need to go out this weekend to get some of the olla pots and some other things that we will be needing in the garden. i have some ideas. so that will be fun-we may have to have a fun garden day sometime in early summer before everyone takes off!

in other news, this has been a good letter month! what does that mean? well, i have sent off several letters, and this month, i have actually received a few choice cards. i love mail-i've said it before, but it bears repeating, there is something very endearing about the hand-written letter, as handwriting is a part of who you are there are certain aspects about handwriting that are tied to your personality, therefore, a letter is precious commodity! i treasure every note!
brandy, traveler that she is, not to mention artist, never fails to amaze with the beautiful cards and stationary, and rachel with my belated b-day card (LOVED IT! your heart always shines through)
 and today when i went to my mailbox, the only thing there was this letter-usually it's all junk mail, so to see a letter made my day!
indira, i cannot wait to meet your boys and just to visit houston and hang out with you!
for those of you in the houston area, i am just going to pass along this info-shameless plug! if you are looking to redo a room, or add on, check it out!
 so, to those of you on my list of letter recipients, thanks for being a part of the letter-writing experiment/adventure/journey! 

i need to purchase a new space heater..this little guy has been faithful, but is on his last legs (personification), the motor...his little heart almost stopped the other day-i let him rest, turned him on his side smacked him a few times, shook him, turned him upside down, and guess what...he worked the next time i tried...so the moral of the story: when you think your loved ones are on their last legs, beat them up  no...um...fight with them ...not it either...fight FOR them! yes, much better!

 it is a meat-locker in my office (hyperbole), if you don't keep moving, your blood might coagulate in there! so yes, i had to periodically put the heater on my lap to warm up today, because the hot air was getting cold before it would reach my core!
good thing the fire marshal didn't come in, he might accuse me of trying to be joan of arc...modern day-death by trying to climb into the space heater...(not as much about fighting for God, but...ok, so terrible analogy)
there really isn't much else to tell tonight, but i'm thinking there might be another weekend post, as i am going to the district health fair tomorrow, and you NEVER know what you're going to encounter when you have to go across town to a district-anything! i can guarantee i will be covertly capturing the best moments for documentation! bwahaha! (i am going, not because i am a health nut...far from...more like, because there is a $500 incentive tied to it and i have completed the other elements).

on that note, fare thee well,
julie

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

yoda would own bonsai trees...and ghosts probably don't even need headbands

this morning, on the way to work, for some reason unbeknownst to me, i was thinking about parts of speech. the only year that vividly sticks out in my mind with parts of speech, was the year that miss lava was my teacher (10th grade? 11th?) anyhoo, i remember diagramming sentences and while i didn't understand the 'why', i was pretty good at it. i was sitting in my car at the corner of valley view and marsh, creating sentences and asking myself, if i were diagramming, i know that it is a pronoun, but what is it replacing in the sentence: it wasn't long before i realized the truth. then i kept modifying the sentence, trying to improve it. who am i? i mean..who does that? (p.s. 'it' is replacing a period of time)

let's see...what else has happened lately that you NEED to know? well, it was our turn to fill the trophy case last week, so here's my rendering:
so many of my finest moments...please feel free to click on this to make it whole screen, because there are some doozies in there! (proud of it) missing: pics with bmayes, shea, stevie...i had to pare down my pics because they wouldn't all fit! the story of my life was not meant to fit on one small bulletin board, but at least it's a taste!
it's been a busy couple of weeks working with fifth grade and helping out with the bilingual students and their reading...it feels a bit like a triage unit! hopefully we have stopped some of the hemorrhaging and there will be less clean-up on aisle 5...i jest so i don't cry. but i will say this- i am proud of how far they have come this year with their teacher, and how much more prepared they will be for next year!!

i am still craving a particular caramel/sea salt muffin. i went to central market and whole foods and one of them said, "no, it's seasonal." (?????) how is caramel and sea salt seasonal, please.  i know how caramel is made and i know sea salt is available over approximately 71% of the earth surface, daily...so, help a kid out! i settled for sugar free baklava. is that illegal? i only did it because the label said: 15 calories..until i ate half the box and realized that there was a second column labeled: calories from fat: 85. oops.
completely worth it! 
and then there's our garden...getting into the swing of things again! tomato plants are on the loose! and pepper plants are going strong. also in the works: garlic, onions, lavender, oregano, lemon basil, lettuce, cauliflower, beans, peas, cucumbers and if we can get the dirt from the front of the building into the last bed, we will have honeydew or watermelon! also considering pumpkin.
already, the tomatoes are showing promise! earlier than i expected-SO EXCITED!!
when i got home from work today, bruno brought his ghost to me, shaking the tar out of it (and that's saying a lot because there wasn't any tar in it to begin with!)...so...he just looked up at me and said, "i ain't afraid of no ghost!" going all ghostbuster on me...please note that ghosts have orange bandanna headbands-when they wear them..it seems to be a disputed fact, as when they have been spotted, it's a rather transparent orange, so..different camps have different theories on that...i'm going petsmart on this one. invisible or not, the headband is most likely orange...and why wouldn't it be? (although, some of the younger critics who are still having pronunciation difficulties say it's boo...[if you didn't get it, i won't judge you, no worries] dummy). 
i told him if he was well enough to play with ghosts, he was probably well enough to do chores...#immediatelydropsghost
and as i was walking the building the other day, looking at writing samples, i came across this:
had i known there was a potion...
i also got the opportunity to lend my services to a couple of friends and colleagues at a nearby school. (let's face it, there is nothing quite as satisfying as being able to share something or help someone else out). and it was really heart-warming to receive a completely unexpected gift! well played, martha!
i mean, amidst the clutter that is my desk, this is a haven of peace during a stressful day! it calms me! AND i feel a little like mr miyagi....who is very similar to yoda..i think if they had bonsai trees on his remote planet, he would most certainly have an orchard-full!
and my parents are thinking, "where did we go wrong?"

so..i mentioned about bruno being on a special diet from now until the end of time..well, there are no treats for him. so  i asked the banfield manager-guy, and he said, "well, you can get the canned food and smush it into little balls and use that as a treat."  so, i put on my latex gloves and tried to make a ball out of the slimy little chunky squares of dog nastiness. and of course it didn't work. i'm sure he thought he was being a clever problem-solver. i give him an f+. so i ended up turning on the oven, blending the whole can of dogfood in the ninja, then smearing it onto parchment paper in thin little clumps to create potato-like chips...it worked, and they crisped up. the dogs both love them, so i am getting rid of their treats and moving in this direction, because i am kind of wondering if the treats may have contributed to his condition in the first place? idk...self-diagnosed prognosis.

and while the boys absolutely love it, the fact remains that i live in a tiny apartment, and there isn't much room for the smell of baked dog food to dissipate. #sadfaceemoticon gotta do what's best for the kids!

alright, i think i am out of gas-
julie