9-1-07

Today I got up at 5am. I ate breakfast and left the house by 5:30am. I was the first car in the parking lot for the Women's 4-miler race. It was still dark, and I took a picture of the moon. 2700 women raced on this day! I wasn't sure if I could do it, but after running 2 miles I thought, "maybe I can make it to three" and then after three miles, I thought maybe I could make it to 3.5 and after that, well, I was home free! I ran 4 miles in 53 minutes without stopping. That's a really slow 13 minute mile pace, but I did it! I haven't run 4 miles without stopping since I was 19 years old, and by my calculations that was a long long time ago....

8-30-07

Awwww, isn't it sweet? Kels is going to love it. This evening I had my first night class and found out one of my former middle school students who is now a junior in college is in the class with me! Strange world.

8-29-07

I've been really consumed by teaching. Dan cleaned the kitchen tonight and I was so very happy.

8-28-07

Squirt is working on a gift for Kels. He's gluing beer bottle caps into a frame. Cool, hu? I hope it turns out.

I saw my oncologist for a check-up today. I'm doing great! 2.5 years a survivor.

8-27-07

Lookie! The mushrooms have opened up. Today I picked two of them and brought them into my classroom so we could look at mushroom spores under the microscope.

8-26-07

Today Dan and I drove up to where Aza lives and checked out her new paint job. The girls did a lovely job, and her room looks stunning. Her black Bonneville is terminal, and we had to take her sister's car from her. So now Aza doesn't have a car. :(

8-25-07

This is a photo of my new necklace. I got it from Ebay Express and I'm so happy I found it!

8-24-07

School has started and I've been busy keeping up with all the work. These mushrooms sprouted overnight in the yard. I hope to use them in my classroom somehow. I think the glowing mushroom is magical!

8-21-07

This is Aza's car. It just got a new tail light. I posted this picture today so she could see the new tail light. It had to be replaced because Jes crunched it up, but I don't remember how.


This is my new classroom, all ready for kids to learn in it. School starts tomorrow! I spent all day getting ready.

8-20-07

Today I stayed at school all day until 8:30 at night because we had an open house and I got to meet most of my students. They're all so delightful!
Last night I painted this awesome watercolor for my classroom since it doesn't have a window. Isn't it great?!

8-18-07

OK, this day was awesome. I got to go see John Prine live in concert. I've been a fan for over 30 years, and Dan and I got to sit in row 13. We had the perfect view, the sound was perfect, the evening was cool and breezy, but perfect. I sang out loud nearly all the songs (along with 2000 other people) and we had a total blast!

8-17-07

Another crazy busy day. First, I drove 2 hours to drop Jes off at the airport so she could fly across the US to go backpacking for 9 days in the wilderness. Whew! A rock hit the windshield of my new Honda Fit on the way and I FREAKED out! It left a spiderburst crack. I was not happy.


Then, I drove another hour in rush hour traffic to visit my good friend Murph, who hasn't been feeling well lately. We went out to dinner and had a lovely time. She sent me home with loads of homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers. I got home at 11pm after an exhausting day.

8-16-07

This morning I left Aza's apartment building and drove an hour back to town and went straight to work at school all day! In the evening, Dan and I went to see a German band that plays Irish music named Cara. They were great! We had a fantastic time.
Happy birthday Kate!

8-15-07

Today was a busy day. First, I worked in my classroom until mid-afternoon. Here are my microscopes all lined up, and a display I created on one wall.



After working all day, I had to drop off a library book, pay Jes's tuition, and meet Squirt at the doctor's office for his check up. THEN, I drove an hour to meet Aza at her new apartment. We ordered pizza and painted her bedroom green. I spent the night with her.

8-14-07

Aza is getting ready to go back to school. I took a photo of her in the yard this evening as she was loading up her car and mine.

8-13-07

I needed to take a bookcase to my classroom and it "fit" into the Honda Fit!
Today I worked all day at school getting reading to teach kids again.

8-12-07

This is a lump of foam clay that I play with at my desk.


And this is the daisy that Frank gave Squirt in the hospital. I planted it outside and it's flowering again.

8-11-07

Today was a productive day. I took an online training course in reporting child abuse as a public school teacher, I finished writing my NARST proposal, I went to see a movie with Kathy, made grilled veggies for dinner, and took my family out into the field at 11pm to see the Perseid meteor shower. We stayed out for about an hour, and I only saw about 4 big ones. Aza saw the most, which is surprising because she was trying to talk to Jacob on her cell phone. I tried taking photos of the meteors, but gave up and took a time lapse photo of Aza talking to Jacob instead.

8-10-07

Finished up orientation at MHS today, then got to go work in my new classroom which still contains stuff from the previous occupant. I'm looking forward to making it my own for a semester.



There was a beautiful cloud at the base of Monticello this morning.
On the way home I got my TB test site checked (negative) and stopped off at the store.



In the evening, Bosnian Kaos stopped by to visit Squirt (friends from his now dismantled band), and Dan and I watched Alfred Hitchcock's movie, Spellbound.

8-9-07

Thursday... More orientation at Monticello High School.



I got to see Jimmy's new classroom.



The afternoon workshop was really interesting and I learned so many new teaching strategies! No headache so far....

8-8-07

Up at 7am
Orientation at 8:30
Hot as all get out
Onto the school bus for field trip to observatory




Standing in hot observatory for 45 minutes listening to lecture



Sitting in lecture room for over an hour listening to lecture
Back on the hot school bus
Unload from bus and get in hot boiling car
Drive to County Office Building for fingerprints, more orientation
Talk with HR
Drive to Ed school to get paper signed by Associate Dean
Drive to Engineering school to sign paperwork from ASEE
Drive to Prompt Care to get TB test injection
Drive to postoffice to mail off requests for transcripts
Drive to gas station
Drive to pick up Kels.... take a Maxalt for migraine that has peaked
Drive home and sleep for two hours
Go to dinner meeting across town
Come home, 10:30, exhausted, another migraine brewing.

8-7-07

Tuesday... I spent all day at my new school but left with a migraine. My camera battery died anyway, so no pictures for today.

8-6-07

Monday... I met with my advisor to discuss my NARST proposal and my pilot study. Here are the photos of my four bookcases in my office.

8-5-07

Sunday.... This is the cow I use to massage my back. I stick the cow inbetween my back and my desk chair and it goes to work.

8-4-07

I still need to vacuum, but this is as good as it gets in my office. Today I finished the second draft of my NARST proposal, read some more of "The First Days of School", went to the gym, washed my car, and finished cleaning my office. Well, it needs dusting too, I guess.

8-3-07

Today I'm getting ready to teach by re-reading the classic book, "The First Days of School". My office is still a mess, but I plan to clean it soon so I can start my new job with a freshly organized office. Today I added Murph to my prayer chalkboard. Her heart needs mending, literally.

8-2-07

This is the kind of day that I wish I had a small pocket camera. I did a hike this afternoon on the Appalachian Trail with the Outdoor Social group, and we stopped at an overlook called Glass Canyon. You could see mountains layer on mountains forever in the distance, and the setting sun behind us cast a shadow of the mountain we were on into the valley. I had decided not to bring my camera because it's too big. Big mistake. Here's a couple photos that one of the group members took:

8-1-07

Today Squirt had his one-month post-operative x-rays taken. Here he is in the waiting room with Kels. So, this evening I made a 30 second video showing before and after images of his x-rays.