Sing to Me, Jack Johnson

Apparently my life is playing a game with me and its called the 'Waiting Game'.  Jack Johnson puts it much more eloquently so I too will chose to say it the Jack way: I'm playing the "Sittin', Waitin', Wishin'" game.

Sittin': on my butt overloaded with work...  Kids these days are all getting a bad case or senioritis or just plain ole the-weather-got-nice-and-now-all-i-can-think-about-is-summer-so-i'm-gonna-act-out-itis.  And because of that and any kind of diagnosis, I am nose deep in parent conferences dealing with next year, 'fixing' behavior problems and teaching math (HA!). 

Waitin':  on a lot.  Too much to list all out but I'll give you a sneak peek- summer, soccer season to be over, to hear about any new job prospects, for 3:02 every day and to know some sort of plan for my life or even just the next year.

Wishin': for a job in Atlanta, specifically at this wonderful, undisclosed (for now) school!, for cheaper gas, for the war to end so loved ones can come home and that my dinners could come themselves every night.


Make a song out of that Jack Johnson.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Melody.

Motivation, Motivation, Where Art Thou Motivation

I have no motivation.  I am sitting here at work, staring at the list of things I need to do.  And instead of working on any of those, I have done the following:

-Made a new list of things I need to do once I leave work
-Browsed blog background and successfully destroyed my new blog creation that my boyfriend so generously worked on (consider this my pre-apology and polite plea to still help me as I promise to NEVER touch it again)
-Spent an entire period talking with a teacher friend of mine about our jobs and how we are both in our first year and neither one of us want to be a teacher anymore.  Awesome.
- Shuffled my iPod 3 times to finally land on a song that doesn't prove any more so that my retro iPod isn't from my high school years. (isn't the caption from website ironic?)
-Looked over my To-Do list for after school and added more.

I got me a bad case of the Monday's.  And it's raining.  Which doubles triples the bad in the bad case of Mondays.  And might I add that rain doesn't cancel a high school soccer game.  Yep.  Who knew!?  Apparently everyone else in attendance of our Saturday game besides me.  At least I know now.  So fingers crossed for bad weather today.  And for tomorrow.  And the rest of the week, except Friday. PLEASE!

Excuse My Absence

I'm not going to try to justify or reason why I haven't blogged in so long. I could list reasons such as: I was on Spring Break and never once got online or that my Internet in my apartment has been off (including cable) since I returned or even that I have had a soccer game every day this week, thus getting me home no earlier than 8:00. But I won't elaborate on those. Instead I'll just trust that I have forgiveness and promise that I will be better starting now.
With all that said, this entry will still be short because I am at school in the midst of 9 week exams and parent meetings all day, every day. However, living on the edge of risk is where I like to be and if typing away at the computer pretending I'm writing an important email or document can grant me some time to write a little entry, then living that lie is what I'm about. Yep. I said it. And I meant it.
Since returning to work, I have been swamped with stuff that I should or should not have completed before Spring Break but hey, I get it done for when it needs to be done. Okay?! Anyways, because of the overwhelming amount of work on top of 9 week exams, let's just say I may not be the most pleasant to students who happen to ask the most RIDICULOUS questions! So, to add to another reason I have been absent here, I give you the case of my 'Just not in a good mood'.

With this as my story I feel certain I will win 'Not Guilty' in the plead of 'Unfaithful to Blogger Relationship':
          Yesterday, during the Algebra I test, after I had told these particular boys to be quiet 7 times and eventually told them they were driving me nuts and to shut their mouths or else!, I was asked by the sweet Marquise, "Ms. Peters, why are you PMSing on us?". To that my only response was "I'm not! You guys are just annoying the crap out of me!!"
Yep. I plead not guilty because I had a 10th grade boy ask me in front of other boys why I was PMSing. When I wasn't even. I swear I am not that teacher, I am fun, usually don't care if they talk, and am willing to help any student! But I got asked why I was PMSing on them.
Let's just say my attitude toward Algebra I, my blog and all things taking time away from the things I love is changing immediately!

My Little Girl

I've been at home sick the past two days due to a 24 hour bug (I'm crossing my fingers that it was just a 24 hour thing... I've never been one to say I can predict the future).  Today was by far the better of the 2 days, offering me time to do some much needed things and some not-that-needed things.  But one thing I feel certain I did get a slight dose of was what it's like to be a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM, what those people refer to it as, I believe).  

No.  I do not have a child.  No.  I am not trying to have a child.  No.  I do not stay at home.

Yea.  I have a sweet puppy.  Yes.  I would like to have kids at some point.  Yes.  If I could, I would love to hold the title of a SAHM.

Today, Huntley, my sweet 6 month old MaltiPoo (half Matisse half Poodle) gave me a glimpse of this lifestyle by:

-Looking at herself in my floor to head mirror, stratching it to see who that was she was looking at.  (Much like a toddler would).  But then went beyond the capabilites of any toddler and climbed behind the mirror where she proceeded to sit and hang out for awhile, perhaps forgetting about the mysterious 'twin' that earlier held her captive.  When she left behind the mirror, this process happened again.  Twice.

**I tried my darnest to capture this on camera.  But alas, I had the wrong setting so the first shots were off focused and the few that I did get didn't do it justice.  And needless to say, I can't even find the cord to my camera to show you the bit that I did capture.  This blog will have pictures one day, promise.  And that is more of a challenge to me than a promise to all you followers... Because there are SO many of you...

-Talking with her mouth full.  Multiple times, just even within the past 10 minutes, she has had her teething bone in her mouth but tried to speak at the same time...  It didn't turn out good for anyone invovled.  Her bark sounded muffled and made me believe she was choking or about to throw up dinner, aka I was convinced I had given her my 24 hour bug.

-Potty Training!  We use the Puppy Pads with her since I can't come home during the day and I live on the 3rd floor currently.  But, recently, we have started putting her on the pad and saying "want a treat?!  Go potty!".  Sometimes it works brittantly.  Sometimes she likes to show me how brillant I am not...  You would think after 30 times of her running to me, jumping on my leg and then shortly peeing after I would catch on and take her to the Pad at first jump.  I've learned that now.  You would also think that I would put 2 and 2 together and know that my girl is kinda high maintenance and doesn't/WILL NOT pee on a Pad that has been used more than 2 times.  I can understand that and appreciate that.  I like her cleanliness and will honor it!  Plus, that girl can pee her some BIG pee spots.  You would wanna give her a new Pad too.  Promise.

-Understanding Mom is sick.  When I throwing up, she was by my side.  Yes, she did jump back each time but that didn't keep her back.  She stayed in bed with me ALL day, even though she had the opportunity to play at any chance; which is never gets to do because every other day the 2 dogs are locked in their perspective corners of the apartment.  She gave me love (stopped when I pushed her off, knowing her limits), cuddle with me like she was getting paid for it and was on her best behavior!  **This mostly happened yesterday when I spent the entirety of the day in my bed, unless I was cradling the great Porcelain god. 

-Loving her in ways I don't normally.  Like allowing her to chew/destroy a pair of my unmentionables she found because she has a weird obsession with it..  I don't put it too far past her though because my room mate's dog does the same thing.  But I usually take them away from her as soon as I see it but today I didn't.  I know she loves it, and it was an old pair I had literally just placed in a donation pile.  (Plus, what her Ditty doesn't know won't hurt her...)

All these things, and many more, made these past 2 days at home relaxing and enjoyable at times when it seemed not possible.  If you asked any of my friends from high school and heck, even college, they would all probably tell you I'd be the absolute last person they'd imagine having a dog... And I'd most likely agree.  But, I have lived with one of my best friends for the past 2 years that has a Maltipoo and its hard to tell if Layla (the dog) fell in love me first or I, her.  It doesn't matter though, it was love and still is the sweetest kind of love!  I got Huntley on Halloween this year as a early birthday present from my boyfriend and Hunt has brought the 2 of us so much joy, happiness, fun and rewards!  Neither one of us are 'dog people' but we are soaking up the endless possibilities of trying to prove we are.  And hey, little girl with the brown nose doesn't know we aren't her kind of people but to her, we are the ONLY kind of people she needs. 

apparently I love making lists.....

Things that have made me smile this week:

1. The girls on the soccer team saying, multiple times mind you, "Peters, you are legit. Why did you ever quit soccer?! Your high school needed you!".
2. A teacher coming into my room to just sit and talk while her class was at lunch.
3. Going on a quick Wal-Mart run with my room mates, and making 'over an hour' the new definition for quick.
4. Running.
5. Tripping 3 times in a row as I walk through the halls of the school, in front of a massive group of students. Each time. (Okay, so that didn't really make me smile, made me very self-conscious actually but I'm smiling now.... )
7. Honesty.
8. My sweet little puppy, Huntley girl, and her precious brown nose.
9. Thinking about my blog and imagining it with SO much more potential... I see pictures in each entry, edited with word art and decorative banners; pictures taken with a Cannon Rebel, and maybe at some point a Cannon 50D. I'll keep smiling about that idea for a LONG while...
10. Love. And how lucky I am to have it in my life in so many forms. And how all I want to do with my life is love.

Ode To March

10 Reasons Why I Am Looking Forward To The Coming Month:

1. A week off of my job, aka Spring Break.
2. Finding reasons to reference Leprechaun, rainbows and pots of gold at any time.
3. A new friend's wedding events!
4. The Bachelor finale.
5. Seeing Peter Pan 360 in Atlanta!
6. Soccer tournaments.....
7. Saving some Day Light Time (Daylight Savings Time)
8. Wearing green on March 17th and making sure everyone who isn't is made aware of that. (Especially thankful I won't be at school that day; the potential for awkward moments is far too high, even for me.)
9. SPRING!
10. Hopefully, maybe, my fingers are crossed for, finding out more stable plans for where I'll be and what I'll be doing next year....

Hope you make you a list too- enjoy the small things today friends

I Gotta Stay Fit

Two freshmen boys just left my room after we briefly discussed how I got shafted with my room, or as some students call it, my office. My room is in the corner of the 3rd floor, right next to the stairwell that is used constantly throughout the day; meaning I hear the opening and slamming of the door so much that I have literally grown immune to the noise. My room is in the shape of a really demented triangle, forming a awkward point in the back corner where virtually nothing can fit (except my bag that contains a change of clothes). My room has no windows and barely has room to fit the 2 tables that it does because its shaped so poorly. But I love my room. I love that it's new (my school is in its first year in this building) and that I am the first person to spend an entire year it in. I love that there is not a single other room like it in the entire building that is occupied by a teacher- the 3rd floor teacher lounge located on the opposite of the lecture hall (which my room is directly across from) is the exact shape as my room. I love that I have made it so 'me' by bringing in pictures of my loved ones, colorful carpets, comfy chairs and the coziness of the room. I love everything about it. And secretly, I think all the students do too.

Anyways, as they brought that up, one said: "Why don't you have a mini-fridge in here?"
Student 2: "Yeah- they are tons of teachers to do."
Me: "Because its not allowed."
Student 1: "Break the rules. I'd totally have a mini in here. Especially with all the other teachers that do!"
Student 2: "Yeah.... But all those teachers are fat. And that's probably why because they be keeping a mini-fridge and microwave up in their room. That's why, yeah."
Student 1: "Oh yeah. Well never mind. I just gotta stay fit. I gotta stay fit. I just do."
Student 2: "Yeah. Stay fit until your married. Then you can get fat. I'm gonna stay fit till I'm married man. Then I'll get anything I want."
Me: "Good to know guys. Good to know."

Times like these are when I am SO glad I am the kind of teachers that students feel comfortable with talking about anything, openingly and freely. I can NOT imagine how bored I would be all day, every day if all I heard about was math. Maybe that means I'm not the 'teacher' I need to be but if thats the case, then I don't even want to be that kind of teacher!

When they left my room, Student 1 looked at me and said, no joke: "I'm gonna leave but trust me, it's gonna hurt me a lot more than it's gonna hurt you. Trust me Ms. Peters."

Like I do most of the time here at my job, I smiled, chuckled to myself and shook my head as I watched them go.