To All You Fathers Out There

. . . and fathers to be. . .
Be Careful What You Preach.

The Power of the Greystache

So we stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home since we figure it will be a long while before we get to go anywhere what with work, price of gas and price of everything and I go to pay the bill of $17.35. I give the guy a $20.00 and he gives me $6.00 +change back. What????? I'm not any good at math but I realize the guy is givng me back too much change. "I think you've given me too much change back," I say. "I gave you the senior citizen discount," he said. I was almost insulted by being taken for a senior citizen until I realized he must have been taking into account my husband's grey beard and mustache. I know I would NEVER be mistaken for a senior citizen:)

Get out and VOTE!

Ooops! I guess it's not election day for everyone. Those of us in Montana are in the spotlight today with our primaries making the news since they are the end of a very long, much too long primary season. Voting was a pleasant endeavor. After handing my driver's license to my neighbor down the road to identify myself so I could sign in, I voted on a paper ballot and listened to all the other neighbors catching up on news they haven't heard until the last election, wedding or funeral that put them all in the same room together. Then home to cook a fast dinner and join my first online chatroom for my online class.

Spring's Back

I realize it has been a while since my last post, but I still can't think of much to write about. Spring appears to have returned as I sit here beside the open window watching the neighbors out in the yard whilst I sit inside tied to the computer. I'm actually taking a study break or you'd probably never hear from me again.

School's out and I'm almost finished being a librarian for a while. I just have to run off an inventory and I'll be through. I got moved into my new office on Saturday morning and got my email set up; my first email was from our new program vendor sending be a bunch of spread sheets which I'm suppose to use to export our student / school data so they can do what they need to do to import it into our new program. By a startling coincidence, my assignment this week is "How to import data from a spreadsheet into a database." Couldn't have come a moment too soon. Maybe I can get extra credit from my teacher for doing my job?? I feel like I'm surrounded by databases, maybe drowning in spreadsheets.

My new motto: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, MANIPULATE THE DATA

TAG I'M IT!

Got tagged by dad on this one.

4 Jobs I've Held:
Dishwasher
Laundress at Motel
Librarian
Stage Manager

4 Places I've lived:
Davenport, Iowa
Woodville, MA
Jersey City, NJ
Bilings, MT

4 Movies I've Watched Over and Over Again:
5th Element
Stardust
Star Trek
Groundhog's Day

4 Places I've Been:
Chicago
Los Altos,CA
Newport, OR

4 TV Shows I watch regularly:
Bones
Burn Notice
Keen Eddie
Blackadder

4 Radio Shows I Listen to:
NPR MOrning Edition
Car Talk

4 Things to look forward to:
Being a Great Aunt
A New JOb
Fridays
End of Summer School
One more family reunion

4 People I email regularly:
Dad
Son
Family
Friends from Colstrip/Medicine Lake (HINT)

Weakend

It's been a busy yet somehow serene week. We've had several events planned for the students and not one of them went off as planned. Not unusual at all, yet the main topic in the teachers' lounge is about how things should be planned better. They were planned just fine, it's just that everyone wasn't given the same plan. Somedays I feel as if I'm living out a novel by Vonengut, was he part Native American? It was a beautiful day, we were outside walking around, the kids were happy, we all got back to school in time for lunch and only had two schedule changes when we got back. Where's the problem?

I had a lot of "lasts" this week since I'll be moving out of the classroom next month and into the nether regions of "administration." One of my colleagues jokingly called me a defector, and he wasn't entirely joking. I had my last "clean up the rez day," my last "march against meth day," last class of graduating seniors, and last time to start my inventory and nine days to finish. I'm not nostalgic or gloomy about any of it so I guess I made the right decision. Just think of all the "firsts" I'll be experiencing.

I started a new online class on Access databases. It looks to be a lot more comprehensive(harder) than the class on Excel but so far I think I'm holding my own. My strategy is to work hard on the easy stuff and get a high grade so when the hard stuff comes at the end of the quarter I won't flunk. Hey it's worked for one of my seniors who got a B 3rd quarter and an F 4th quarter, he squeaked by with a passing grade, so can I.

To all the other students out there, I have a new respect for you! Just be sure to Ace the easy stuff.

Happy Mother's Day

Aftermath

So after being called at 4:30 to be told that school was called off for the day the sun came out and it was a beautiful day to stay home and nap, read, play FFX, do a few household chores and read blogs. Now I'm ready for the weekend.

Dos de Mayo

At 4:30 this morning the telephone rang. A telephone ringing at 4:30 in the morning usually doesn't bode well. It probably didn't bode well for someone, but for me it was good news. SChool was called OFF due to a storm system hitting us last night. I'd much rather be awakened at 4:30 in the morning than head out to work and then find out that the roads are closed. Anyway, I intend to be a sloth today and just read, nap, play video games, and catch up on my blog reading until the power goes off and then snack on Vanilla Wafers and milk.

Finals Week !

I just finished my final test for my online Excel class. I only got a 90% on it, but there was one question that I think wasn't fairly written..... whatever. I have all my assignments handed in, but they aren't all graded yet, so I don't know what my final grade is, but at least I passed and I'm finished. I'm taking an online course on databases during summer session. I expect it to be a little easier because I was anxious about spreadsheets and formulas and whatnot, but maybe the databases will be harder since it's a 300 level course and the Excel course was a 100 level.

School's Out !

New Job!

I finally got an actual contract and not just the promise of one. So for the first time in 28 years I won't be a librarian or a classroom teacher. It will make the last few weeks of this year a lot easier to put up with. I start on July 1st so I'll get June off. What shall I do?

Fishcake Anyone?

Happy Birthday to ME!

JOb NeWs

Incredibly, I'm still waiting to decide which job I'll have next year. The school board voted to renew my teaching contract and also voted to offer me a contract with the tech dept and Student Information Systems coordinator. I've yet to see either one and the superintendant won't be back in the office until next Tuesday, so I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer. I'm not complaining, mind you. Some people didn't get offered even one contract and I've got two!

Caption Contest

Create a caption for this picture.

The Taxman Cometh

Ask not for whom the taxman cometh, he comes for thee!! I know you're out there, you lazy slacker, someone out there hasn't filed his/her tax return yet. HaH! I mailed my today! That's right, in the mailbox, not efiled ! Call me a luddite if you will, but that's the way I do it.

Actually, I had a productive, yet relaxing 4 day weekend. I went to Billings and visted family, finished a difficult Excel chapter, started a great book called "The Thirteeth Tale," watched some movies, and worked on the taxes.

Job Apps.

Well, I submitted an application for the job I've been "fillng in " for since October. Someone more qualified may yet apply, more power to them. The job would mean a cut in pay and longer work year, but I'm ready for something new. Just sort of coasting the past couple of years. I won't know for at least a month and then the school board is very slow about some decisions. I hope this isn't one of them.

March ON

March is here at last! What is more, there are only 9 days left in 3rd quarter, which means to anyone who is counting, there is one quarter left until the end of the school year. I have lived my whole life thus far by an academic calendar. I think I always will. Time is marked by quarters, semesters, graduations and vacations. Right now I am both a teacher and a student as I come home from work and hit the comptuer to study Excel 2007, in which class I am now showing a 97% thank you very much. I suspect that even when I retire, I will tell time, not by the calendar that starts in January, but the calendar that starts in August.

Bloomin' Tulips

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Happy Birthday Big Brother !

School Assemblies

I was expecting an assembly this afternoon because our Lady Stars are going to Red Lodge tomorrow to play in the regional basketball tournement. So when the announcement came down at 2:30 for everyone to go to the gym, I thought, "That's way too long for a pep assembly. "( We're dismissed at 3:45) But we had a surprise guest. Matt Light, the aforementioned football player had come back on his way home to stop by and speak to the kids about a football camp his foundation is sponsoring in June. The listened well until he started his stay in school and off drugs and out of trouble speach. How was he to know we've already heard that speach about 10 times this year. Well, he cut his loses when they got restless and went to a Q & A. One of the kids asked how far he could throw a football. "Oh, I can't throw a football at all. I never go near the football," he said. Another kid asked if he cried when they lost the SuperBowl. "No, I didn't, " he said. "I didn't cry. I bawled." He seemed like a genuinly nice guy and it was a nice break from classes. He may even have inspired our basketball crazy guys to try out for football next year.

But the real fun started after he left and we got our promised pep assembly complete with skits that embarrass the teachers. I got wrapped up in toilet paper which wasn't bad compared to the teachers who got their faces covered in peanut butter and then had popcorn thrown at them. Somehow the coach made it all tie into the big game, but it was really about humiliating the teachers.

GO LADY STARS!!!