DeadpanAnn (old blogger version)

I'm sorry, people. There's plenty going on, I suppose, but it all just seems so damn boring. Even the trip doesn't seem blog worthy right now. Imagine that. The things on my mind right now aren't that interesting. It seems like work is all I think about.

I've gotten 4 new students since returning from Christmas. That's one per day. New students have trickled in all year long, but I guess people think the new semester is a good time to make changes. You should see my gradebook! It started out as a neat alphabetical list; now it's a mess. Our student population moves around a lot. It'd be so much easier on everyone, including them, if they'd find a place to live and pay the bills long enough to stay there through a school year.

Three of the new students are guys, and the other is a mouthy little female with a tough-girl facade. I'm not sure if she needs a hug or an ass whuppin'. Yesterday I was tempted to give her the latter after she called me a bitch. I would tell you the story, but you've already heard it. Here. I'll give you the abridged version.

Student talks loudly out of turn.
Teacher gently instructs student to be quiet and that we'll talk later.
Student continues shouting.
Teacher becomes more firm, finally telling student to sit down.
Student calls teacher a bitch.
Teacher sends student on a three day vacation.

These kinds of things used to ruin my day, but now I just give them their vacation pass without missing a beat. The good thing is that this kind of stuff doesn't happen much anymore, especially with the students I've had a while. This girl just doesn't know Mrs. DeadpanAnn yet. She better recognize.

Tim's birthday was yesterday. He took off work and spent the day repairing the door to the shop. Remember this episode of Sweet Tea destruction?? A few days ago Bear and Daisy (the current mutts) finished the job by chewing all the way through the door. Once inside, they chewed the padding out of a motorcycle helmet or two (do you know what those cost, by the way?) and tore up some other not-exactly-cheap stuff.

I yelled. Not at the dogs. At Tim.

He tried to replace the door after Sweet Tea screwed it up a year ago, but couldn't find a door that would fit. You had to buy the frame and everything, and he didn't want to mess with that. After the most recent episode of Tim and Ann's Animals Hate Them was aired, I insisted that the door be replaced right away. Leave it to Tim to come up with a way to satisfy me without doing what I want. He used his new shop toys and covered the entire door with a layer of some thin piece of wood, then painted it. You can't tell.

Tim. Making things 47 to 53% less white trashy since 1973.

Labels: Musings on the Man, teacher life, this house is trying to kill me

While lying in bed, lights out and with our backs to each other-- ten minutes after TH walked past the office door and saw me playing Empire Poker (with fake chips):

If you gambled away our savings, I'm gonna kill you.

I gambled it all away. The house too.

[silence]

I'm gonna use a hammer.

Labels: married life, Musings on the Man

I didn't see Elvis, but I made ya look.

Today I rented a steam cleaner and cleaned all the carpets in the house. They look better, but still need to be replaced.

The carpet cleaning took three hours. After I finished, I headed to the mall to buy TH some cologne. He said I could buy whatever I wanted-- he just wanted some cologne. I sniffed five or ten different things, but nothing tickled my fancy. Finally, at the suggestion of the sales woman, I settled on Vera Wang for men. It's nice. Seems like there used to be a time when certain men's colognes did something for me. Today I couldn't find one that I particularly cared for. The Vera Wang was my favorite of what I tried, and TH likes it, so it'll do.

I also bought some new shoes, pajamas, and a sweet down comforter. A few years ago I bought a down comforter at JC Penney, and TH loves it. He insists on sleeping with it every night, and my other blankets and quilts haven't come out of the closet in a while. The old one is starting to show its age, and it's not like it's real easy to clean those things, so I decided we needed a new one. (Hey, it was on sale!)

Today is my mother's birthday. She's 57. She quit her job a few days ago. They've been rather sh*tty to her for the last year or so, and she's been a reliable person for them for the last ten years. She was a manager for a while, but decided she didn't want to do that anymore because she wanted to have time off when my dad is off work. The guy who became the new manager is a prick. He has been trying to run her off for some reason, and I guess he finally succeeded. She wrote her two week notice and turned it in, and she's looking for a new job. I think she should go back to school and finish her Elementary Ed. degree. It's what she's always wanted to do, and it would solve a couple of their problems. My dad's company provides NO health insurance after retirement (unless you want to pay $1000 a month for it) and they're starting to worry about how they're going to get health insurance. Teachers get it free. It's by far the greatest perk. You know, besides touching young lives and making a difference or whatever.

TH wants the computer, and I want to go to sleep. In my new pajamas. Under my new comforter. Alone.

Marriage rocks.

Labels: Musings on the Man, this house is trying to kill me

--Ever since we went to church, some mystery person has knocked on our front door on four separate occasions. We never answer. Their timing is incredibly bad, if you know what I be saying. They're 2 for 4 so far.

--At first I felt guilty for not answering the door, but I changed my mind. Why should I feel guilty? Call first! I don't like people knocking on my door unannounced unless they are bringing money, and even then, why not just call first?? Even if I'm not busy, I might not come to the door. I don't always wear a bra around the house, FYI, and I'm not coming to the door with my girls bouncin'.

--As I've shared in previous posts, I have been trying to lose weight for some time now. Recently, I started to see subtle signs of progress. My love handles are shrinking, for one, and my waist is slightly smaller.

--Today at TH's sister's house, she said I look like I've lost some weight. I was thrilled.

--So thrilled that I ate a piece of cake. And some fruit salad.

--I'll be walking 3 miles tonight.

--I have to go back to the colon doctor sometime around June 13-ish. That will be the next time I'll be weighed, which will be one month after the last time I was weighed. My goal is to see a smaller number on June 13. I think 10 pounds is a reasonable goal.

--The older I get, the less I talk when I'm around people. I find that I sound smarter and smarter.

--Sometimes when I say things, they come out the wrong way, or I don't emphasize what I'm really trying to emphasize, and I'm frequently misunderstood. This creates conflict.

--Who wants conflict? Especially when it's just because you were misunderstood.

--Blogging has made me a lazy writer. I used to make sure everything was spelled correctly and that there were no grammatical errors. This came easily to me because errors were like vinegar being sprayed into my eyes. They jumped out at me, and stung. I couldn't resist changing them. Now I don't cringe nearly as hard when I see one.

--I think a year of looking at 7th grade level writing (which was 2nd grade level writing where I worked) has made me less sensitive to shiddy writing. Taken the edge off my grammar nazi-ism, so to speak.

--The way things are going, I may never again look at 7th graders' writing. But that is depressing, and I've decided not to be depressed or anxious about it anymore.

--My eyes were opened to what I'm dealing with when the principal called and asked me what I wore to my interview. That was so tacky. I won't let my self-esteem slip down one single notch for someone like that. Not one notch.

--My eyes were opened further when TH put his arms around me and told me he was proud of me, and that I didn't deserve anyone's pity because I'm not pitiful.

--If he knew what enormous power he has, his head would be the size of the Hindenburg. (I mean before it burst into flames and crashed to the ground.)

--Must walk. Must walk. Must walk...

Labels: Bureaucratic Incompetence, Musings on the Man