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22 hours ago
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Clumsy
I'm officially a dork. I was close before, but I now have the title.
Last Friday, I went outside to watch the kids play soccer during PE, which is during my prep time. First mistake. I should have been grading or prepping for the following week. Well, whatever. I conform when I absolutely need to. I should have.
The ball went out of bounds (I don't know, about...5 feet from me?). So I run up to the ball. Actually, wait. The thought process went like this:
1) The ball gets kicked out of bounds-I process this.
2) Ah, I'll be cool and get it so the kid doesn't have to run so far.
3) I'll run, trap the ball, and smoothly (with perfect direction) kick it back to the kid that is gratefully waiting for it.
4) I'll hear, "Ah, thank you Ms. Sarah"
5) Then I'll finish watching the game
This is how it actually went:
1) The ball gets kick out of bounds-I process and think of the above.
2) I run to the ball. (Said ball is slightly deflated so they don't kick it over the fence)
3) I try to trap the ball. Instead, I step on the ball because it is deflated.
4) Instead of kicking it back, my foot decides to roll over the ball.
5) My body then chooses to go with my foot (not that it had much choice)
6) I go flying through the air. Not really. If you played softball as much as I did growing up, you will recall learning how to slide...head first.
7) Yes, those instincts came back. I was basically pitched forward, ergo, sliding head first into...no base...just more dirt and rock.
8) So I fly through the air, gracefully, I hope, in front of 5 staff and 28 kids. Lovely.
9) I finally hit the dirt, and I lay there for what seemed like 5 hours before the staff came to see if I'm okay. I'm basically wishing I were anywhere else on the friggin' planet.
10) After making sure I can move, I am almost 30, you know, I grab two outstretched hands of two very caring staff. In this process, I practically trip one of the staff on my way up. She doesn't fall, thank goodness. That would have put me into tears for sure.
11) I dust myself-screaming at myself (in my head) to NOT cry. I assure everyone I am okay. Hey, it was funny right?
12) My kids get led back to the classroom to prepare to go to lunch. As they pass me, they shake my hand or pat my shoulder saying "pobrecita", or "you okay miss?" Ugh. Tears start to fall.
13) I drive home to change. Literally, I looked like Pig Pen.
14) I finish the day off without falling again or tripping anyone.
So, there's the thought process versus reality. Reality does take a lot longer, doesn't it?
Anyway. I was COVERED from head-to-foot in dirt and dust (is that a redundancy?). My forearms are bleeding a little. (Note: when you slide in softball, they teach you to keep most of your palms up from the ground, especially your fingers-don't want to jam them on the base!) It was basically my forearms, a bruise on each knee, and one scraped knee. Thank goodness I was wearing jeans. Oh yeah, plus the humility of my clumsiness.
Watch out for deflated balls.
Last Friday, I went outside to watch the kids play soccer during PE, which is during my prep time. First mistake. I should have been grading or prepping for the following week. Well, whatever. I conform when I absolutely need to. I should have.
The ball went out of bounds (I don't know, about...5 feet from me?). So I run up to the ball. Actually, wait. The thought process went like this:
1) The ball gets kicked out of bounds-I process this.
2) Ah, I'll be cool and get it so the kid doesn't have to run so far.
3) I'll run, trap the ball, and smoothly (with perfect direction) kick it back to the kid that is gratefully waiting for it.
4) I'll hear, "Ah, thank you Ms. Sarah"
5) Then I'll finish watching the game
This is how it actually went:
1) The ball gets kick out of bounds-I process and think of the above.
2) I run to the ball. (Said ball is slightly deflated so they don't kick it over the fence)
3) I try to trap the ball. Instead, I step on the ball because it is deflated.
4) Instead of kicking it back, my foot decides to roll over the ball.
5) My body then chooses to go with my foot (not that it had much choice)
6) I go flying through the air. Not really. If you played softball as much as I did growing up, you will recall learning how to slide...head first.
7) Yes, those instincts came back. I was basically pitched forward, ergo, sliding head first into...no base...just more dirt and rock.
8) So I fly through the air, gracefully, I hope, in front of 5 staff and 28 kids. Lovely.
9) I finally hit the dirt, and I lay there for what seemed like 5 hours before the staff came to see if I'm okay. I'm basically wishing I were anywhere else on the friggin' planet.
10) After making sure I can move, I am almost 30, you know, I grab two outstretched hands of two very caring staff. In this process, I practically trip one of the staff on my way up. She doesn't fall, thank goodness. That would have put me into tears for sure.
11) I dust myself-screaming at myself (in my head) to NOT cry. I assure everyone I am okay. Hey, it was funny right?
12) My kids get led back to the classroom to prepare to go to lunch. As they pass me, they shake my hand or pat my shoulder saying "pobrecita", or "you okay miss?" Ugh. Tears start to fall.
13) I drive home to change. Literally, I looked like Pig Pen.
14) I finish the day off without falling again or tripping anyone.
So, there's the thought process versus reality. Reality does take a lot longer, doesn't it?
Anyway. I was COVERED from head-to-foot in dirt and dust (is that a redundancy?). My forearms are bleeding a little. (Note: when you slide in softball, they teach you to keep most of your palms up from the ground, especially your fingers-don't want to jam them on the base!) It was basically my forearms, a bruise on each knee, and one scraped knee. Thank goodness I was wearing jeans. Oh yeah, plus the humility of my clumsiness.
Watch out for deflated balls.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Hail in Glendale
I know. Sheesh. I know. I haven't blog in a long time. In fact, I wanted to share the weird hail storm we got earlier in October. I think it was October 5. Or 6th. Uh....Nope. The 5th. I just checked. So anyway....it was really, really weird.
About 12:30 or so that afternoon, I had gone to get some lunch on my break. I pulled onto the side street where my school is and all of a sudden, it started to hail. No biggie, I thought. I've seen hail here before. No problem. WELLLLL.....it really started to hail! About pea to marble size, it started coming down. Before I knew it (I pulled to the side of the street), it was a ....... whiteout. That's the only word I think of to describe it. It was completely white outside. It was so bad, I couldn't see my hood, let alone my side mirrors. So I just kept my foot on the brake, hoping that some crazy person thinking they have whiteout x-ray vision wouldn't hit me. Thankfully, it only lasted about 5 minutes. 4 minutes too long, mind you.
Okay, then.......My mom drove me home later that afternoon (my car needed to go to the shop, so I borrowed hers, then she drove me home.)---Got it? Moving on. I drove into my driveway and waited while she finished talking to my grandma on the phone. When she was done, we chatted about what was going on with Grandma when all of a sudden, the hail turned into slightly smaller than golf balls, and began POUNDING the car! I swear, it sounded like someone beating the car with a hammer. Or baseball bat. (Note: I have never had anyone actually hit my car with these things, but it is what I imagine those objects would sound like.) Anyway. Another whiteout. It was hitting so hard, my mom and I couldn't (or rather, wouldn't) get out of the car. It was getting so bad that we put up her sunshade and covered our heads with our hands!
Here are a few pictures of the aftermath. (None of the car, unfortunately, but more about that in a sec)
So anyway, many roofs need to be replaced, along with window, and A/C units. Yes, the storm took out many windows of houses. Mine was really lucky. Of course, I also need a new roof, most likely a new A/C unit, and a new patio roof. (When it rained, my ENTIRE porch was soaked as if I didn't have a patio roof at all. Many cars have been totaled, many racking up damage charges of around $4,000. What a storm!
About 12:30 or so that afternoon, I had gone to get some lunch on my break. I pulled onto the side street where my school is and all of a sudden, it started to hail. No biggie, I thought. I've seen hail here before. No problem. WELLLLL.....it really started to hail! About pea to marble size, it started coming down. Before I knew it (I pulled to the side of the street), it was a ....... whiteout. That's the only word I think of to describe it. It was completely white outside. It was so bad, I couldn't see my hood, let alone my side mirrors. So I just kept my foot on the brake, hoping that some crazy person thinking they have whiteout x-ray vision wouldn't hit me. Thankfully, it only lasted about 5 minutes. 4 minutes too long, mind you.
Okay, then.......My mom drove me home later that afternoon (my car needed to go to the shop, so I borrowed hers, then she drove me home.)---Got it? Moving on. I drove into my driveway and waited while she finished talking to my grandma on the phone. When she was done, we chatted about what was going on with Grandma when all of a sudden, the hail turned into slightly smaller than golf balls, and began POUNDING the car! I swear, it sounded like someone beating the car with a hammer. Or baseball bat. (Note: I have never had anyone actually hit my car with these things, but it is what I imagine those objects would sound like.) Anyway. Another whiteout. It was hitting so hard, my mom and I couldn't (or rather, wouldn't) get out of the car. It was getting so bad that we put up her sunshade and covered our heads with our hands!
Here are a few pictures of the aftermath. (None of the car, unfortunately, but more about that in a sec)
 |
| This is actually after they melted a little. |
See the canopy on the left? That's the neighbor's-behind us and to the left. See the canopy on the right? That's my neighbors that live right next door. It flew from their porch, over the fence, and got caught on the other one.
 |
| Our flooded street |
 |
| And of course, a pretty double rainbow to finish off the weird storm. |
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Weird, Strange, and the Mysterious
There are some weird, strange, and mysterious things that I have begun to notice. I thought I would share with you. (Thanks to those who have pointed out weird things to me, now I have noticed)
1. Miscellaneous Shoes- These are shoes that you randomly see while you are driving or walking somewhere. How is it possible for so many people to lose ONE shoe? Where is the other one? Because I know I am staring at one, logically, it would seem that the other shoe would still be attached to the foot of the wearer. But how is this possible? Do they know they lost a shoe? How can they lose a shoe? I don't think I have ever been driving while one shoe decided it was through with me and committed shoe suicide by throwing itself out of the window. Weird. (Thanks Kalie for making me ponder.)
2. The Case of the Missing Socks- Since we just discussed shoes, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss socks. This one has not only plagued me, but millions of people around the world. Just how do you end up with odd socks? Where did they go? I mean, it's not like they are so small that you lose them behind or under the washer or dryer. After all, I seem to have all of my underpants, and they are roughly the same size as socks. OK, that sounds weird, but stick with me here. So you keep your odd socks out, hoping someday, the missing one will turn up. Magically? I'm not sure why we expect a sock to say, OK, I am tired of hiding. I will come back to my mate. I mean really. Then one day, you look in your sock drawer at all the odd socks and decide to throw them out. Or use as dust rags. Whatever. Then, months, maybe years later, the mate shows up. HUH? Seriously mysterious.
3. K-Mart- I recently stopped by K-Mart the other day to pick up some stuff I needed for my kids and the lesson I was planning. Get this: K-Mart (at least the one by my house) has 26...yes, 26!....handicapped parking places. Not that I mind have those spaces. People need them. I get it. I don't mind parking far away and walking. It's all good. But 26? Truly? FYI K-Mart, you are lucky if you have that many customers in ONE day! Least of all 26 handicapped people at one time!
4. The Grocery Store- Don't you hate it when you make a list to go to the grocery store, go grocery shopping, come home and unload, just to realize you forgot something! Or worse, you already had a certain product at home, but by the time you make the list, go to the store, get home, the product is gone, or is nearly gone. UGH.
5. Fruit and Its Demise- Speaking of the grocery store, don't you hate when you get your groceries and your fruit, go stand in the checkout line-which BTW, seems to take even longer now because for some reason, cashiers have gotten slower?-and check out. So, the cashier is being fairly kind with your food. I mean, he or she isn't yelling to the bagging person, Go long! and chucking your bread or whatever. However, when it comes to fruit, they pick it up (so thanks for not sliding it like you do the package of meat to ring it up over the scanner), but then they PLOP it down on the scanner to type in the code, then CHUCK IT more than halfway down the conveyor belt, so the bagging person can then hold it up perilously high, just to let it fall in the bag. WTF people? By the time I get home, my poor fruit is bruising and weeping at the injustice of how it has been treated.
6. Razor Companies- Why, why, why do you find a great razor, that's not cheap, but not the most expensive, buy it, love it, and then after a couple of times of buying replacement blades-because, they too, are not the cheapest but not the priciest-THEY DON'T HAVE THEM ANYMORE? Now, you have to buy a whole new razor. This one is new, you have to get used to it, and come to realization that you can't become too attached, because one day, one horrible day, they will not sell the replacement blades. Causing you to then, purchase a new one, go through the whole bonding process again, just to be devastated at some point. Please quick toying with our emotions! Why do they do this anyway? Just for fun? Just to keep their job at producing a "better" razor, when the one I had was perfect? Jeez people.
I was going to try to make it to 10, but I think this is enough of the weird, strange, and mysterious for you to ponder at the moment. Plus, I can't really think of anything else at the moment.
1. Miscellaneous Shoes- These are shoes that you randomly see while you are driving or walking somewhere. How is it possible for so many people to lose ONE shoe? Where is the other one? Because I know I am staring at one, logically, it would seem that the other shoe would still be attached to the foot of the wearer. But how is this possible? Do they know they lost a shoe? How can they lose a shoe? I don't think I have ever been driving while one shoe decided it was through with me and committed shoe suicide by throwing itself out of the window. Weird. (Thanks Kalie for making me ponder.)
2. The Case of the Missing Socks- Since we just discussed shoes, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss socks. This one has not only plagued me, but millions of people around the world. Just how do you end up with odd socks? Where did they go? I mean, it's not like they are so small that you lose them behind or under the washer or dryer. After all, I seem to have all of my underpants, and they are roughly the same size as socks. OK, that sounds weird, but stick with me here. So you keep your odd socks out, hoping someday, the missing one will turn up. Magically? I'm not sure why we expect a sock to say, OK, I am tired of hiding. I will come back to my mate. I mean really. Then one day, you look in your sock drawer at all the odd socks and decide to throw them out. Or use as dust rags. Whatever. Then, months, maybe years later, the mate shows up. HUH? Seriously mysterious.
3. K-Mart- I recently stopped by K-Mart the other day to pick up some stuff I needed for my kids and the lesson I was planning. Get this: K-Mart (at least the one by my house) has 26...yes, 26!....handicapped parking places. Not that I mind have those spaces. People need them. I get it. I don't mind parking far away and walking. It's all good. But 26? Truly? FYI K-Mart, you are lucky if you have that many customers in ONE day! Least of all 26 handicapped people at one time!
4. The Grocery Store- Don't you hate it when you make a list to go to the grocery store, go grocery shopping, come home and unload, just to realize you forgot something! Or worse, you already had a certain product at home, but by the time you make the list, go to the store, get home, the product is gone, or is nearly gone. UGH.
5. Fruit and Its Demise- Speaking of the grocery store, don't you hate when you get your groceries and your fruit, go stand in the checkout line-which BTW, seems to take even longer now because for some reason, cashiers have gotten slower?-and check out. So, the cashier is being fairly kind with your food. I mean, he or she isn't yelling to the bagging person, Go long! and chucking your bread or whatever. However, when it comes to fruit, they pick it up (so thanks for not sliding it like you do the package of meat to ring it up over the scanner), but then they PLOP it down on the scanner to type in the code, then CHUCK IT more than halfway down the conveyor belt, so the bagging person can then hold it up perilously high, just to let it fall in the bag. WTF people? By the time I get home, my poor fruit is bruising and weeping at the injustice of how it has been treated.
6. Razor Companies- Why, why, why do you find a great razor, that's not cheap, but not the most expensive, buy it, love it, and then after a couple of times of buying replacement blades-because, they too, are not the cheapest but not the priciest-THEY DON'T HAVE THEM ANYMORE? Now, you have to buy a whole new razor. This one is new, you have to get used to it, and come to realization that you can't become too attached, because one day, one horrible day, they will not sell the replacement blades. Causing you to then, purchase a new one, go through the whole bonding process again, just to be devastated at some point. Please quick toying with our emotions! Why do they do this anyway? Just for fun? Just to keep their job at producing a "better" razor, when the one I had was perfect? Jeez people.
I was going to try to make it to 10, but I think this is enough of the weird, strange, and mysterious for you to ponder at the moment. Plus, I can't really think of anything else at the moment.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Short but...Not
This post will be pretty short. Maybe not.
This is a quick update for all of you out there that are really too kind to read my blog.
Tomorrow (Thursday) marks two full weeks of teaching!
I am exhausted...because....
Figuring out and refining brand new (out of the minds of the 8 of us MCRSD teachers) curriculum.
Brand new lesson plans (3 per day) that come straight out of my mushy brain to go with the still developing curriculum.
Using what supplies I can get my hands on at Southwest Key, while the supplies from MCRSD slowly, ever so slowly, trickle in.
A new seating chart every couple of days. (You would be surprised how yucky paper gets from writing, erasing, writing, erasing).
Finding that my overhead transparency machine has a broken corner on the glass, thus taping the said glass of my said machine (with blue painters tape-it was all I could find!).
Surprisingly, finding out that the first words my brand new English speakers learned was "Shhhhh" and "Listen". (They are a chatty bunch!)
I realized that my 5 years of Spanish wasn't a waste. I remember more than I thought I would. But "shhhhh", don't tell my kids that!
And finally, I am exhausted because I cannot get my work out of my head. I am (now) constantly thinking in 2/3 English, 1/3 Spanish, spending 1-4 hours after school working on lesson plans, activities, in-class work, homework, quizzes, and projects, and spending PRECIOUS weekend time doing the same.
But it makes me smile and feel oh-so proud when my kids say a complete sentence in English. Heck-even just basic words to convey their needs (pencil sharpen please?). <---cute huh?
Worth it? I'll answer you after I get some sleep. JUST KIDDING!! Heck yes it's worth it! I LOVE IT!
This is a quick update for all of you out there that are really too kind to read my blog.
Tomorrow (Thursday) marks two full weeks of teaching!
I am exhausted...because....
Figuring out and refining brand new (out of the minds of the 8 of us MCRSD teachers) curriculum.
Brand new lesson plans (3 per day) that come straight out of my mushy brain to go with the still developing curriculum.
Using what supplies I can get my hands on at Southwest Key, while the supplies from MCRSD slowly, ever so slowly, trickle in.
A new seating chart every couple of days. (You would be surprised how yucky paper gets from writing, erasing, writing, erasing).
Finding that my overhead transparency machine has a broken corner on the glass, thus taping the said glass of my said machine (with blue painters tape-it was all I could find!).
Surprisingly, finding out that the first words my brand new English speakers learned was "Shhhhh" and "Listen". (They are a chatty bunch!)
I realized that my 5 years of Spanish wasn't a waste. I remember more than I thought I would. But "shhhhh", don't tell my kids that!
And finally, I am exhausted because I cannot get my work out of my head. I am (now) constantly thinking in 2/3 English, 1/3 Spanish, spending 1-4 hours after school working on lesson plans, activities, in-class work, homework, quizzes, and projects, and spending PRECIOUS weekend time doing the same.
But it makes me smile and feel oh-so proud when my kids say a complete sentence in English. Heck-even just basic words to convey their needs (pencil sharpen please?). <---cute huh?
Worth it? I'll answer you after I get some sleep. JUST KIDDING!! Heck yes it's worth it! I LOVE IT!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Since facebook seems to like me (this is the second time the thing created a site for me-with my commonly used password-may I remind you) I have succumbed to it. I will try it out and see. Of course, as you may have noticed, I now teach. I practically don't have time for such silly things. But blogging, now that's a different story! I will always try to find time to blog.
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