Umpires at Yankees games…
…make me angry. that is all
Longing for peace of mind
I have a zillion things running through my mind right now. I would like to fast forward one month. It would be lovely. I’ll still be busy, but a completely different kind of busy. I have a feeling it’s going to be a really great summer this year. I can’t wait.
Teacher Appreciation Week - It Damn Well Better Be
Teacher Appreciation Week is a very welcome recognition to my extremely under-appreciated profession. I love that it comes at this time of year, when most teachers are at the end of their ropes. We can see summer. It’s right there in front of us. Two and a half months of no screaming children, no grades, no staff meetings, no Miss So-and-so I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of your class for the fourth time this week, no 20-minute lunches, no announcement interruptions, no writing passes, no answering 27 emails in 5 minutes, and no 16-hour days. However, while looking forward to all of this, we also look at the 746 tasks that we have to complete BETWEEN now and that extremely close summer. A word of advise, never complain to a teacher in May, they have at least 17 times as many things to do as you.
Therefore, it is an absolute perfect time of year to have Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s exactly the type of thing that keeps us going when we feel like banging our heads against a wall. Everything from a student saying “I appreciate you, Miss Hill” to a free espresso cart and doughnuts in the staff lounge just makes life a little bit better. I literally have not paid a dime of my own money for anything I have consumed today so far. On a not-quite-full-time teacher’s salary, that is saying a lot.
Thank you for your appreciation. :)
AutoNObile
I would really love for my car to stop falling apart. My car is supposed to be the most reliable car in the world. A Honda Accord. Known for lasting well into the 300,000 mile range. Well mine hit 145,000 and gave up on life. It began to overheat like mad. Dad found a hole in the water pump. He advised that it was time for the timing belt to be replaced anyway, so we took it in to get the whole package done.This entire package came to just over $600 with labor.
While all this happened, I was stuck driving my dad’s not exactly gas guzzling, but still much worse mileage than my Honda, truck on my round trip hour long daily Seattle commute. Soon after, I got my car back and all was well…for about 3 and a half days. That Thursday, my car began to run rough, suddenly and unexpectedly. I drove it a little ways and it died completely. Stuck and stalled on the side of the highway, I went over my options. I was at least 10 miles from my apartment, at least 30 from any friends or family. I had no small cash for a bus. I was stuck. Miraculously, when I tried my car for the last time, it started, and I limped it back to my apartment with the check engine light on. I had recently had an axle replaced at a car shop that a friend recommended to me in Southcenter. They had given me a year of free roadside assistance, so I had them tow my car to their shop to see what was wrong with it. However, it was too late in the day for them to look at it. That meant that I was without a car in Seattle, working at two schools, both on the other side of the city from where I live. None of my colleagues live on the same side of the city as me, and as I said earlier, my closest friends are 30 miles away. I would have to take public transit (dun dun DUN).
This may seem like not much of a problem, but as a single woman traveling across Seattle by herself, having never set foot on a public transit bus in her life, this was a terrifying prospect. I fumbled around on the King County Metro website for hours, trying to figure out the best route, wondering if there was any way to end up where I was going without getting on a bus at 6:11am. To my chagrin, I would have to take a total of 5 buses the following day, dealing with transfers and peak charges and exact change and much longer travel times.
I broke my $20 at the gas station across from my apartment so I would have the right amount to board the first bus in the morning. The route I was taking to my destination took me the most roundabout way I could think of to get to my first school. Two buses, an hour and 13 minutes (25 min by car). I was exhausted and actually arrived about 15 minutes earlier than I needed to be, so this being Seattle, I went to the Starbucks across the street. My day was normal at that school and I traveled to the other school on one bus, my easiest route of the day. It was very direct, the only delay was the stops. I grabbed some lunch and headed to my second work place. During my first class there, I got a call from the car place. There was oil spewing everywhere. Several things had to be replaced. This would total over $1200. I needed my car back, so I told them to go ahead and do it.
Two buses, and a peak hour transfer later, I was at the car place, almost maxing out my second credit card on this stupid car. You know, the super reliable one. I discovered that this entire thing could have actually been caused by the people who did the water pump and timing belt replacement. Dad has since talked to them and threatened them, but to no avail.
I thought my car troubles were in the past until yesterday. My car was running hot again, after just filling up the coolant on Sunday. I called my new car shop and they said to bring it by, but they couldn’t get to it until morning. So here I was again, without a car, on a work day. More adventures in public transit ensued. I actually got on the wrong bus once today, but it ended up taking me to the exact place I wanted to go anyway. So another $600 (This time of my parents’ money) and a new radiator later, I have my car back. This had better be the last time it fails for a while. I have probably spent twice the value of the car in the past two months on repairs.
So tomorrow, I will DRIVE to work. NOTHING will go wrong with my car. I will drive to work, to the baseball game, and to my apartment, and I will rest easy that night and sleep as late as I want on Saturday, because early morning public transit woes have earned me that privilege.
Oy!
H O W ?!
Holy shit
I keep trying to think of a good comment for this but I’m speechless, really.
My god.
Reblogging for a few Potterhead followers. Hopefully they haven’t seen it yet.
That was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever listened to in my life…
My inner Harry Potter nerd and outer music nerd are happy. :)
February 21st, 2013
Boy Scouts of America
National Council
1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane
Irving, Texas 75015-2079
Re: Ban on Gay Membership in Scouting
Dear Council Members,
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” As a scout who cares deeply about the future of the B.S.A., I cannot in good faith remain silent about the discrimination and exclusionary policies that throw into question the entire mission of scouting.
Looking back over my seven years in Boy Scouts, I know that scouting has shaped me into a more confident, disciplined person and has given me memories that will last a lifetime. It seems simply wrong, therefore, for the Boy Scouts of America to deny the lessons and experiences I have enjoyed to so many boys on account of their beliefs or sexual orientation. Throughout my life I have benefited from the guidance of gay friends, teachers, and mentors, and it pains me to think that people as good as they have been barred from participation in scouting. I have been fortunate enough to serve in a troop that does not support the Boy Scouts’ national ban on gays, but as a member of the greater organization I would be remiss to ignore the issue.
In an age when all reasonable people agree that discrimination, whether at drinking fountains or churches or country clubs, is fundamentally wrong, the B.S.A.’s ban on gay members appears increasingly behind the times. When a growing majority of Americans believe in gay marriage, when gays and lesbians serve openly in our armed forces, and when both of last year’s major U.S. presidential candidates support lifting the B.S.A.’s ban, the Boy Scouts’ continued discrimination against gay members makes me question the true mission of the organization I have come to love. Does scouting seek to teach our future leaders the values of love, compassion, and equality before God, or does it seek to disprove Dr. King’s unquestionable truth, that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice?”
Since the beginning of my involvement in scouting, I have always felt uncomfortable with the admittance policy of the national organization, and so I was pleased by the announcement on January 28th that Boy Scout leaders were considering a change that would have left gay membership up to the discretion of individual troops. This shift in policy would have meant a small step in the right direction, and so I looked forward to the announcement that was promised for the following week. I was therefore deeply disappointed when the B.S.A. opted to ignore the tenth scout law by postponing any decision until May. Such a move places doubt on the integrity of scouting and forces me to question my own continued involvement.
Therefore, I now return my Eagle badge and medal to the Boy Scouts of America. For all that finally earning Eagle last month meant to me, I know that I can only honor my own beliefs and personally uphold the twelfth scout law by standing up against injustice to the fullest of my ability. I ask that someday the B.S.A. send back my awards, but only when all boys, gay and straight, can earn those honors as I have. Until then, I urge scout leaders to lift the ban on gays in order to uphold scouting’s belief in equality among all people. I know that I stand on the right side of history, and that someday I will see my Eagle badge and medal again. The only question is when.
With deep respect,
Maxwell Ulin
Yesterday, I got into a HUGE fight with my boyfriend over something that wasn’t that important, but the way it was handled by both sides made everything blow up. We both got selfish and angry and it got to the point where we almost broke up. Now this may sound like a whiney teenager saying “Wah, I almost broke up with my boyfriend.” I assure you it was much more significant of a fight than it sounds. I don’t threaten to leave at any small sign of trouble. Anyone who knows me could tell you that I’m an incredibly loyal and steadfast person. Therefore, this was a really big deal. I had gotten to the point where I actually said “I hope you have a good birthday. I can’t do this.” In that moment, both of us stopped. We realized what that really meant for both of us. I couldn’t believe that I had actually thought and meant those words. That I was about to give up on the one thing that I should never give up on. Real. Unconditional. Love. We both fell apart, telling each other how sorry we were, testifying to how much it hurt to think of not being together anymore. We moved on from the problem and proceeded with normal conversation (with maybe a few more “I love you”s) the rest of the day.
For the rest of yesterday, I was still not okay. I couldn’t believe we had come so close to letting it all fall apart. I was hurt and sad and terrified. Then today, I was thinking about the whole situation again, and I realized that this was not a reason to be upset. In fact, it is a reason to be even more secure in the relationship. Every relationship has flaws and there will always be arguments, whether over things that matter or whose turn it is to do the dishes. Yesterday’s argument ended up strengthening my faith in my relationship. I know now that whatever problems Dustin and I may run into, our love will always be the most important thing to us, which is what gets us through it, and makes the relationship successful. I can’t wait to spend his birthday with him on Thursday. Love you forever, Dustin.
I’ve become tired of hearing people saying big girls (and even guys) can not amount to anything. These people are clearly ignorant on the subject. Instead of sitting here bashing someone for their size, maybe you should be doing something with your lives. Clearly, these amazing people are able to do what they love and guess what they get to enjoy that triple chocolate sundae with extra whip cream on top. They are plenty of more great plus sized people out there who have achieved many things and there are many more who will in the future. So instead of discouraging people for their bodies, let them know that they are beautiful and help them feel good about being who they are. Everyone deserves to be happy, being who they are.
Yay big beautiful people!
