Late Night Entry

It's a bit late, but I have too much energy to sleep (and yet not enough energy to move to my bed). I just hung up the phone with my sister. Yesterday was my brother-in-law's 30th birthday and I really haven't had a conversation with my sister in ages (I think December was the last time we spoke), so a phone call was necessary, right? I do this every time I hang up with my sister, the cheesy grin and the "I love my pookie" attitude (that's what I call her). With all of the warm-fuzzies she leaves, I should call her more often.

Tomorrow is the last day of the second term. Yippee!! I have officially made it through a second term at a British school. This one was a bit easier than the first (not including the Ofsted preparation/inspection). That leaves hope for the third term...

Next Tuesday I leave for my big Contiki Tour of Europe - 8 countries in 12 days!! Should be quite an adventure - lots of time on a coach (we travel on average 250 miles a day!)!! We will be sleeping in the following cities: Amsterdam, St. Goar (Germany), Munich, Hofgarten (Austria), Venice, two nights in Rome, Florence, Lucerne (Switzerland), then two nights in Paris!! I am really starting to get excited about this trip - I have dreamed of seeing Italy since I was a kid!

Until Tuesday I will be shopping, packing, muddling through my 2004 Income Taxes, relaxing and spending some time with the Brit (as Little A so nicely dubbed him). Whatever I do, school will be the last thing on my mind (at least for the next two weeks) - this is why I love my job!! [This is not the only reason I love my job, but after the Ofsted week we all need a bit of a break - kids and teachers!]

Anyway, I should really get to bed. Despite tomorrow being a half-day, I will be worthless if I don't get at least some sleep.

Come Gather Round...

Imagine 1992 and MTV's 120 Minutes. I fell in love with a man and his guitar that year. His name was John Wesley Harding and the video was "Kill the Messenger." I quickly bought the tape, "Why We Fight," and memorized every song. He told amazing stories, very imaginative and a bit odd (I think that's what I liked most about his lyrics). There was "The Original Miss Jesus," where lyrics claimed "Born before her more famous little brother Mister Christ. Sure, there were miracles but out of the public eye. So they didn't think even to have her crucified. She just wrote some novels and then she died. And only her family cried for her, The Original Miss Jesus." And my favorite line of all times comes from his song "Come Gather Round, "We're so convinced we're different, it makes us all the same."

In 1993, this British Modern-day folk singer came to Knoxville with Joan Baez. My sister and I went: my sister excited to see Joan Baez, myself excited to see JWH. It was an amazing show and the little theater venue (Knoxville's Bijou) made it quite memorable. Eventually, my JWH tape wore itself out (it was eaten in my car stereo) and I had a hell of a time trying to replace it. Last year, Krissie found a CD version for me (isn't she wonderful?!) so that now I again have access to my favorite songs.

Last week, while looking for something interesting to listen to while I marked papers, I visited Nashville's Lightening 100 website. They have a radio show on Sundays that broadcasts live from 3rd and Lindsley and they have mp3s from previous shows. John Wesley Harding was on that list. He has a new album, "Adam's Apple" out. So, in my attempt to find something to listen to while being productive, I spent the rest of the evening playing on John Wesley Harding's website (which was quite interesting - we're talking hours of entertainment!). The man is very creative and has recently published his own book under his real name, Wesley Stace. It sounds like a fun read, Misfortune. It is described in an LA Weekly article as a “Gothic soap opera, but clever, one that uses the conventions of 19th-century fiction and gives them a modern twist." (The website even has audio excerpts read by JWH! It's great!)

Check him out for yourself: www.johnwesleyharding.com or www.wesleystace.com

Another damn survey...

This is totally not my idea. I have nicked it from someone else (thanks, D), but I thought it was such a good one that when someone sent me one of the damn things, I just couldn't help myself.
1) Ever been so drunk you blacked out? No, but I have done many other things while intoxicated. Some I do have to be reminded of the next day... "Oh. I did what?!?"
2) Missed work because it was raining? No, that's hard to do that around here. I'd never make it into school!
3)Put a body part on fire for amusement? Not on purpose, but I have caught hands, nails and arm (hair) on fire by accident...
4)Been hurt emotionally? Hasn't everyone at this point in our lives?
5)Kept a secret from everyone? I am horrible with my own secrets, everyone knows in a matter of hours!
6)Had an imaginary friend? I had "pinch bugs" when I was little that I used to feed by tearing up tissue and leaving it all around the house. Mom loved that!
7)Wanted to hook up with a friend? Oh goodness, yes!
8)Had a crush on a teacher? I always had old, ugly teachers. But if I had to answer the question based on co-workers, that's another story.
9)Ever thought an animated character was hot? I so loved G.I. Joe!
10)Had a New Kids on the Block tape? No! Never! Well, okay maybe one, but I never had the buttons pinned to my denim jacket...
11)Been on stage? Other than dribbling beer down my face at a Uphonik show?
FAVORITES--------------------
1)Shampoo: Found a new favourite brand over here - Tony and Guy Fizz Reducing Shampoo. [I am sure this is really the type of stuff you want to know about me]
2)Body Wash: I miss Bath and Body Works!
3)Hair Color: I've always been a fan of red hair - even though mine doesn't look red anymore.
4)Day/Night: I am such a night person it is not even funny! I have such odd sleeping patterns - How do you think I can watch such crap tv? Hooray for 2 am HBO!
5)Summer/Winter: Too hard to choose. Can I call myself an autumn/spring person?
6)Lace or Satin: I guess lace.
7)Favorite cartoon person: Dot from the Animaniacs.
8)Favorite Food: Anything ethnic: Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, and especially Ethiopian!
9)Favorite Movie: Sliding Doors, Time Bandits, Amelie, Jaws, Indiana Jones (all three), Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there are too many to name.
10)Favorite Book Anne Rice's Interview with A Vampire will always be my favourite, but I also like Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Murakami) and The Time Traveler's Wife.
11)Favorite Ice Cream: coffee flavoured. Mmmm!
12)Favorite Subject: Anything that's not maths.
13)Favorite drink: Beer!
14)Favorite drink with alcohol: Beer! Or a Stoli Vanilla with Diet Coke.
15)Favorite Word(s): "road trip?" and "adventure"
16)Words that bother you: "No" and "I can not"
DO YOU BELIEVE IN------------------
1)Your friends: Of course.
2) Santa Claus: Does Hanukkah Harry count?
3)Tooth Fairy: yes.
4)Destiny/Fate: no doubt.
5)Karma: more than anything.
6)Angels: yes.
7)UFOs: yes.
8)GOD: I believe in something, whether you want to call it God, Allah, Buddha, or any of the other millions of names world societies have given her.
FRIENDS AND LIFE-----------------
1)Like anyone? Yup.
2)Who have U known the longest of your friends? Kristin - met her my freshman year.
3)Who do you go to for advice: Everyone!
4)Who do you cry to? Mostly my mom, sometimes my friends.
5)When did you cry the most? Dealing with a break-up almost four years ago. Looking back, I wouldn't be the person I am now without having gone through it. I also wouldn't be where I am now without having gone through it.
6) When are you (happy) laughing: My mother and my sister put me into laughing fits! Plus, my friends - they are always make me crack up!
7) Best feeling in the world: Spending time with good friends.
8) Worst Feeling: Making someone else late when you know how much they hate it.
9)What do you do when it rains? Not much else I can do, grab a brolly and walk out the door!
10)What do you do when your favorite song comes on: Sing
11)What's the newest thing you have done or tried lately: I watched my first Rugby match on Saturday.

Exhausted, but still smiling...

We passed the Ofsted inspection. It was a little touch-and-go for a bit. Two teachers walked out and the number of 'unsatisfactory' inspections kept rising, but in the end, we pulled through. It was an exhausting and stressful week, my observations were complete on Monday, but there was still the fear that an inspector would enter my room at any given time. The worst part was Friday afternoon when the Principal called a staff meeting. Why would you get up in front of a group of people after a week like that and say, "Good job, but I know we can do better next time. I know this isn't something you want to think about, but we have to prepare ourselves for the next time they come..." What sort of motivation is that?!?

I have spent the better part of my weekend on the other side of London, taking it easy and relaxing. Now we only have a week and a half before our Easter Break (and my big trip: 8 countries in 12 days!! WooHoo!!).

One down, three days to go...

Unless they decide they want to stay for Friday (but they won't do that unless things aren't going well). This is Ofsted I am referring to, btw. And I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. Don't get me wrong, the inspectors are nice enough, but there's just so much pressure and so much stress attached to this whole experience.

I got up early this morning and took my time packing my bag for school, but somehow my geography lesson got put in the wrong pile and ended up underneath a bunch of crap on my bedroom floor. So, what else could have happened when I've left my lesson plan at home? Yup, as you've probably guessed, I was observed first lesson (geography). There's me feeling like a big old goof trying to explain why I do not have my lesson plan with me. Then a couple of the administrators stop by asking if I needed to call home and have someone bring it to me... Umm, it's just a piece of paper and it's a bit late don't ya think?! Anyway, other than feeling like a complete fool, the lesson was okay and I got my 'satisfactory' mark.

So, feeling a bit better having faced the firing squad, I went on with my day. That is, until my last lesson when the science inspector walked into the room. Now, I teach a wonderful group of very low ability year 7 students on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. I say wonderful because they really try hard, but they are climbing the walls in the afternoon lessons. And they were in rare form today! The lesson sucked. It was horrible. But the inspector said that I was persistent about their behavior, so I made my second 'satisfactory' mark.

Now, both lessons were horrible and I feel that on any given day, my lessons are SO much better than what I have just shown. I just don't think I am one who performs well under pressure. Oh well. I have my marks and there's nothing I can do about it. Other than work a bit harder tonight in case I see the inspectors tomorrow... Or the day after that... Or the day after that... Ugh!!

I can't wait for this to be over!!

I can not seem to focus today at all. This is my horoscope for the day and it is very fitting:
As of this evening, you'll be thinking specifically about one person -- just the one. You may need to spend your time with others, or be duty-bound to take care of responsibilities, but your mind won't be there.

There are about a million things I'd like to say right now. Instead, I will try and work on Ofsted preparation (through my cheesy smiles that don't seem to disappear)...

What happened to the weekend, is it Sunday already?!

I was looking at the most recent Time Out Magazine and there are a TON of US bands touring England this spring! I was quite surprised to see G. Love, North Mississippi All Stars, Gov't Mule, Drive By Truckers, and Me'Shell Ndegeocello. There's also some bigger names on tour like Jimmy Eat World, Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, and AudioSlave. Then, there are the groups that I had to stop and think, "are they really still playing?," like the Spin Doctors, Presidents of the USA, NIN and Hanson... [Ha! Sorry, but I can't help but laugh when I think of Hanson!] I haven't tried to make it to any shows since I have been here, but I want that to change. Consider it a very late New Year's resolution. Anyway, Particle and Keller Williams are playing the weekend after next and I am going to go ahead and get tickets. Hooray for Spring!! I just wish the weather would feel a bit more like spring...

So, I spent Saturday evening in the same spot as last Sunday - freezing my ass off, snogging (kissing) on a park bench along the Thames. I met him at noon and we spent the day wandering around London (I finally saw Buckingham Palace). We walked a good portion of the city and I have the blisters to prove it (Damn Skechers!) I had a really nice time with him, though, and we've made plans for next weekend...

Ofsted inspection starts tomorrow. I've already spent my morning at school (I wasn't the only one) and still have lots to do! Ugh!

What a long, strange day!

It's been a rather odd day. I've mentioned the strange weather in an earlier post, but truly we've had snow, in some form or another, every day for the last two weeks. Today, there were a few flakes on my walk to work. By mid-morning most everything had a light cover, and the streets were slippery. They cancelled school by 1:00 and sent all of the students home. Most teachers stayed to prepare for our big inspection next week. So, by the time I left the school at 4:00, the sun was blazing and there wasn't a drop of snow anywhere. Weird.

This, compounded by the fact that I was up late last night, has made the day feel entirely too long! Yesterday feels like weeks ago and tomorrow will not get here soon enough.

Another one...

www.overheardintheoffice.com

I love this blog!

Have you seen www.overheardinnewyork.com? It's really a fun read!

My favorite so far:
Girl on cell: I knew it was over when I grabbed his shirt and he told me I was pulling his hair!

- Bleeker & W. 11th
Overheard by: Alaska

Desperate housewife, I am not. But the show still rocks!

I have just finished watching another episode of Desperate Housewives - I love that show! We are a few episodes behind the US right now. Tonight's episode was the one with the fashion show and ends with Carlos being carted off by police. I can't really explain why I like the show as much as I do, but I can't seem to skip an episode either...

It has been snowing here off-and-on for a week and a half. Although it never seems to stick, it is still quite pretty to walk through. Today it snowed rather hard and they even sent the primary kids home early. By mid-morning it was a mixture of rain and snow and by afternoon most of the snow had melted. Grr! Funny, the towns around us are covered, but not us. Still, it is nice to watch it fall - just wish I was watching from indoors instead of walking to work.

I don't know what I was thinking last night...

... but I totally I made out with a boy sitting along the Thames with the London Eye illuminated on my left and Big Ben across the river!! :)

Love actually is all around...

God I love that movie!!

Today According to the Stars:

That woozy, dreamy feeling you were toting around last week? All the while you were wondering if you were doing the right thing? Picture the best of that -- the romance and idealism -- without any confusion. Congratulations! That's your day.

Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves?

A senior manager at the school stopped me today and asked how things were going. He said, "you really seem to be doing well." I told him it was all a front, but thanks... The Head of the Science Department was walking behind me, so he stopped her and said, "she seems to be doing very well." And she replied in agreement. Why is it that I feel like I am a crap teacher, why am I so hard on myself??? Anyway, Good is nice and the compliment is nice. :) Someday I want to be called an outstanding teacher... But for now I will settle for "good."

Snow... Maybe!?

It has been snowing off and on all week, but never enough to amount to anything. I seem to time it just right where I get caught in the snow/rain either walking from one building to the other at work or walking to and from school... Today, which was the day they were predicting to be the worst for snow, it was just rain (with an occasional flake here or there). I was so disappointed. That is, until I just looked out the window. There is a light accumulation and if it stays cold enough and if it snows a little more, we still have a chance for a snow day!! Long shot, I know...

I swear I am such a kid!!

So, it has been snowing off and on all day!! It will only last for 5 to 10 minutes, but it comes down pretty hard. It was a frustrating day at school - first day back after half-term and I can already feel my voice going. I don't think the snow helped any. Why is it that kids will go absolutely NUTS if they see the sky spit flakes?! (Of course, I am secretly jumping up and down, but I don't scream and run to the window!) Outside it has started again. Fingers crossed, maybe it'll stick!!

I don't want to go to work tomorrow...

They are predicting snow. Actually, they are predicting flurries off-and-on all week, but somehow I don't think we are going to get more than a dusting. It would be nice to experience a snow day in the UK so that I can compare it to home. Aw! Who am I kidding?! I just like having days off from work!

So, it has been a fairly quiet weekend. I tried to go into London yesterday, but the train lines were down. I could have taken a bus, but instead I just hopped a bus to Bluewater. I was in search of shoes, but decided to hold out for the open-toed variety (once the weather gets nicer). Winter should end eventually, right? I did notice Friday that it is staying light out much later in the evening, like 5:30...

We had English Pancakes for dinner this evening and boy were they delicious!! They were thin, like a French crepe and you roll them up with toppings inside. I ate mine with some sprinkled sugar and some lemon juice, a "very English" style I was told. They were lovely!!

I've been reading in the news that Israel is pulling out of the Gaza Strip. I know there is a lot involved and the Palestinians are not entirely happy with the way Sharon is moving ahead without a proper peace accord, but this is big folks!! Who knows?! Call me an optimist, but we may actually see peace in the Middle East (and a Palestinian State) during our lifetime!!

I got my hair cut yesterday and the woman dried it out straight. It's REALLY long! Just thought I'd share. 

Home from the whirl-wind Tour

Where to begin? It was an absolutely amazing trip - lots of fun!! We saw SO much and did SO much in the short amount of time that we had - it was a blast!! I met some really cool people and enjoyed spending time with Krissie and her friends!! Good times and lots of memories!

Day 1: Met Krissie at Victoria Station, London approx. 4:15 pm. We made our way to Luton Airport. After riding the tube, a train, a bus and eventually a plane, we arrive at Paris' CDG airport. Then we made our way to the Hotel Mayet. A train ride and two metro transfers later we check in, eat some cheese and crackers and fall fast asleep.

It was exciting and a little weird to see Krissie standing at Victoria (like it was normal for her to be in London or something). Somehow, the reality of our trip still had not hit me. We caught up on gossip and swapped stories, just like old times.

Day 2: Paris: We woke up and made an attempt to use the funky French shower (it was a tub with a hand-held piece, no curtain). We ate breakfast and met Emily and Nico in the hotel lobby. Nico drove us to Sacre-Coeur for the start of Emily's wonderful tour. Here was our day in Paris:

• Sacre-Coeur: We climbed to the top of the tower and could see the whole city - such a beautiful sight!!
• Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame: Very cool buildings! The figurines carved into both buildings were very detailed and very beautiful! Don't know why I was obsessed with Notre Dame, but I took a ton of pictures of it.
• Lunch: Take away sandwiches on good French bread - Mmmm!!
• The Louvre: We walked through the courtyard (not enough time in the day to see the inside) - such a huge and amazing building!!
• Jardin de Tuleries: Winter and a little rainy, but I can see why it is such a neat place.
• Angleina's: Famous for hot chocolate, we enjoyed the specialty and dessert - Mmm!!
• Champs Elysees: We walked along the well-known street and even did a bit of shopping (or at least tried to).
• L'Arc de Triomphe: We climbed more stairs to see the city!! I never knew you could do that!
• Eiffel Tower: Bad weather kept us from going to the very top, but we saw plenty from the second level.
• Bataux- Mouche: A river cruise along the Seine - very cool!!
• Dinner: St. Germain area for dinner at La Boussole and drinks later.

A very cool day! It was great to meet Emily and to spend the day with her in Paris! Hard to choose a favorite sight, but I loved looking down on the city from at least three different places. The restaurant where we ate dinner was spectacular! I have found myself dreaming of the salmon with coconut sauce... Guess I will have to find my way back to Paris soon.

Day 3: Nico and Emily drove us to the airport for the second leg of our trip. I can't say this was the BEST travel day, but we made it and that's all that matters. First, the airport had only one line to check in for the flight to Barcelona (while other destinations had at least two lines) which meant that the line itself was rather long. Passengers started to get anxious about making the flight, so there were a lot of angry/stressed-out people in line... Never a good thing. Then, when we finally checked-in and hurried to the gate expecting to board the plane immediately, it hadn't even landed yet! The company probably could have saved quite a few customers from stressing -out if they had only informed us while we were waiting. We made it to Barcelona without a problem and caught the train to Estacio Sants where we were expecting to catch a train to Alicante. Unfortunately, there were no seats on any train to Alicante... Uh Oh!! The guy told us we could either take a bus or catch the 7am train the next morning... We opted for the bus and arrived in Alicante at 2:20am.

I am sorry for that, K. I really did try to book tickets in advance, but the website wouldn't let me and I NEVER expected the trains to be full!! It was a long ride from Barcelona, but was cool to see the Spainish coast (well, at least until the sun went down). The bus was a new, fancy one that had a toilet on it (you actually stepped down to get to it). We even watched a movie - too bad neither of us know Spanish... Caroline and Lee met us at the bus station at 2:20am and took us to their house in La Marina. We drank champagne and ate strawberries and didn't go to bed until 5 o'clock.

Day 4: La Marina, Spain We woke up around noon and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to leave the house, it was time for siesta, so we went to the beach and enjoyed a picnic along the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly, but lovely and bright. I was thrilled to be able to wear sunglasses. About 4:00 we headed into Torrevieja. Siesta is a new concept for me - the idea that people take a break in the middle of the day to go home and spend time with their family is cool. They slowly make their way back to work sometime between 4 and 4:30ish to open shop and continue with the rest of the day. It was very odd to walk around the town of Torrevieja and see the shops closed in the middle of the afternoon... Just a very different way of life. We left and headed back to La Marina for dinner. We had a few drinks at two of the local bars, then enjoyed a huge Chinese feast. It was great. I think we were all a little drunk by the end of the evening, I know I was! We walked home and sat on the roof-top terrace for a little while before heading for bed.

Caroline and Lee were great fun! I have loads of admiration for them to leave Wales and move to Spain where the life and the language is completely different. I really liked the Costa Blanca region. There is such a completely different way of life in Spain, so mellow and relaxed. It would take a while to get used to life there, but I think it could be a lot of fun.

Day 5: We woke early so that we could attend the San Fulgencia Market, hopped in the car and drove to the town only to find that the market was not quite what was advertised. It only had about 8 stalls, mainly fresh fruit and veg. We decided to drive to Elche, the shoe capital of Spain. We wandered around the town looking for shoe shops but had no luck. We found a really cool bridge and snapped tons of pictures. We ate lunch at a cute little Spanish restaurant. We left Elche to find orange and lemon groves and snapped more pictures. We spent loads of time in the car, seeing a lot of the area. It was really cool to see the salt lakes and citrus groves - such a beautiful area!! Then it was back to the house for dinner and then off to the Alicante airport. We were in the immigration line at Gatwick with some really shady characters. Caught the shuttle to the hotel and crashed by approx. 1am.

Elche was really cool. It is a good-sized city and you could get a good feel for Spanish life. Compared to Torrevieja, where tourists frequent the area, Elche did not speak much English. So it was especially nice to experience. Driving through the area with Caroline and Lee was nice. We have some fun pictures where we stopped to photograph ourselves with the San Miguel sign. I can see why they are such a special couple for Krissie, they are just really great people!! Lee bought Krissie and I stickers and magnets and even a box of Sangria!! Caroline insisted that I take a juice-box sized wine home with me as well!

Day 6: London, England We caught the 8:15 shuttle to Gatwick. Big hugs before Krissie went through security to find her gate and I caught the Gatwich Express to Victoria, then the Green line to Embarkment, walked to Charing Cross and finally caught the 10:02 train back home.

I had a blast K! Thanks for coming!!