the annie blog

Well, it’s midnight and I finally have time to post. Full day of work – inservice meetings and getting things ready for Monday. Then I went grocery shopping. Then we headed out for the night. We had dinner and drinks at this bar where some of our alum were performing. They are a brother and sister team. He sings and plays guitar and she sings. I had him as a student like 8 years ago, and I had her just last year. They are in Texas now and still have family up here. So they came up to perform. Awesome! They seriously rocked. I am hoarse from singing along all night long with everyone. The entire bar was totally into them. I’m very proud of both of them. The funny thing is I did NOT get along with him when he was here. And I got along with her just fine. He and I had many, many tiffs in the classroom. He was such an obnoxious kid – I was so glad to see that he grew up into a wonderful and talented person. We did have this awkward moment together for a minute – I think we both knew how much we angered each other that semester. But that’s the past and we both have changed. We’re going out to the same bar again tomorrow because a friend of ours knows the guy who is playing out there tomorrow. So, I guess a bunch of us are heading out for some fun. The only thing I mind – all the smoke. I hate coming home from a bar smelling like smoke. It gives me a headache. My hair just stinks like it! Icky!

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I cannot tell you how busy I have been these past few days! I know everyone is busy also, so I don’t wanna sound like a cry-baby. But my God! I am so ready for Inservice to be over. I think they make us go through inservice so we’re so sick of it we can’t “wait” for the kids to come back. I truly am ready to have students around and begin teaching – anything to avoid the mindless babble of inservice.

I really would like to get to work on school stuff, but the meetings – my God, the meetings. They are forever, they are endless, they are a waste of time, and they are required. Hmmmm, there’s always a catch, isn’t there? I have been dragging work home every night. I get some of it done, but I’m trying to get back on track with having to houseclean after work. And dinner? Forget about it. We have had dinner out every single night this week. We both come home and are drained. So, we pick a place and head out. It always takes a couple of weeks to get back in the swing of things. I think being off for three months is the problem – but I wouldn’t give that up for the world. So, we adjust and take the good with the bad.

I have lots to do this weekend, so we’ll see if I get any blogging done.

Keep your head above water – I know I’m trying…

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We’re back from vacation and I actually audioblogged – but there’s no post. I was so sad to come home and find that it didn’t work. I need to figure out what I did wrong. Boo-hoo.

We had a fabulous time. We ended up being a little sneaky and leaving early. We were talking after lunch on Tuesday, and I said how I wish we could be there already. So, Mark suggested we call the hotel and see if they can accommodate us one extra night. We figured we would let fate be in charge – if there was room, we would go. And guess what? They had room! So we finished packing and got ready. We hit the road at 3 and arrived around 6:30. We quickly checked in and dropped our bags in our room and headed back out.

Now, neither one of us had ever been to Eureka Springs, AR. But it truly is beautiful! The trip getting there is rather treacherous. Since it’s out in the middle of nowhere, the roads are unbelievably hilly and curvy. It was like a cartoon road. Our ears were popping because you would go straight up a mountain then wind your way back down. The last 30 miles took us about 45 minutes. Crazy.

We got up early on Wednesday so we could hit the town – but things don’t open up till 10. It is so very laid back there. Stores are maybe open, and maybe not. People pretty much open if they want to. They all close by 5 and many close much earlier. Restaurants – very odd – most open around 11 to 3 for lunch and 5-9 for dinner. But not all restaurants serve both. Some are lunch only, some are dinner only. Some only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Most just close early if they feel no one is showing up. So our eating plans were changed around a few times till we could find something that was open. The stores run the same way. By 8, the place is pretty quiet.

We stayed right in the heart of downtown. The town is hilly and curvy, so we were thankful to park the car and walk everywhere. The roads are mighty narrow. We had a perfect hotel for what we wanted to do. We wanted to explore downtown- all the shops and restaurants and we did. I got lots of Christmas shopping done actually. So, on our second day we realized we could sleep in because things weren’t ready to open till after 10. We spent time in the jacuzzi and played foosball in the hotel bar – I totally kick ass at that game. We spent some time in the hotel restaurant listening to music. We ate wonderful food! We visited a tea room. I had a facial and a pedicure in their spa. Mark got this exfoliating scrub thing he hated, and a massage. Then he went to another spa for some kind of chakra focused massage. He liked that one much better. We took a trolley ride around the town. I got another tattoo! We always went to bed early because we must’ve walked about 5 miles up and down hills each and every day. Plus, it was HOT! The first day was so humid. The heat index was 105!!! Killer. But it cooled off. Thank goodness. The people are friendly and soooo laid back. Service was generally slow, but they were nice. Everyone there just kinda takes their own sweet time. By last night after dinner, we were ready to come home. So we packed up and headed to bed.

We missed the kitty though! We took pictures, and I will post them, but I need to finish unpacking and stuff. It was a very fun trip and we would totally go back there again.

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Ok, I think I’ll try and post a little. We are leaving on vacation – Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on Wednesday morning and returning Saturday night. I have a zillion and one things to do prior to leaving. We closed Peter Pan with a Sunday matinee. We sold out each and every production. It was a madhouse. Standing room only. Crazy. Good crazy, but crazy. We are thoroughly tired. We went out almost every night after the show for drinks with friends and alumni. That was very much needed. But, the housework has been seriously neglected, and packing has only begun. So, I basically have today to get it all done. Tomorrow we go out of town for an appointment with Mark’s neuro-surgeon, and while we’re away, we’re going to get some clothes shopping done for him. He needs stuff for the trip. Can you say, last minute? Then Tuesday night we need to do yardwork before we head out. So, it’s awfully busy around here. But, the vacation is MUCH needed.

We will actually be coming home on our actual anniversary date, but that’s fine. We’re going to “celebrate” our anniversary on Friday night – our last night there. There’s this Italian place that everyone has said we MUST go to. So, that will be our anniversary dinner – a day early. Our room has a jacuzzi. Fun! We’re gonna get a bottle of wine and sit in that thing till we turn pruney. I have checked the weather and it should be nice – upper 80’s with no rain. Hopefully it’ll stay that way and not get any warmer.

We’re having a former student house-sit for us. She lives about 45 minutes away from here, she’s home for the summer. She desperately is looking to get out of the house. You know how it is – it’s hard to come back over the summer when you’re in college. She’s only back this summer because she’s in the millitary and had a few months of training to complete in June and July. She will take care of JD and stay here. She’s a very good person, and we totally trust her. Plus, I just like having someone at the house. I know we live in a small community. But it’s more comforting to me to know that someone is there. Especially because JD hates being alone for long periods of time. Plus, we’re paying her rather well (because this is important to us) and she gets to eat all our food. What could be better?

I will try and audioblog while I’m away. But I never got a chance to when I was gone last time. I think we’ll have some relaxing time (we better) so I should be able to blog. We are NOT going to check email or anything like that. It’s a wireless vacation – we need that. I should be blogging again on Sunday. Have a great rest of the week!

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I just wanted to say that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth – but I am slowly returning from Neverland. With Peter Pan behind us – I am way behind on everything. Plus, we leave for vacation on Wednesday. It may be quiet around here for awhile – just a heads up.

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Here is my Friday Forum:
 
1] Would you go up into space if you had the chance? Why/why not? Would you ever want to be an astronaut?
I would go into space. Even though there are risks, I would do it in a heartbeat. Be an astronaut? Well…maybe. I don’t know – I really like my job right now. I would want my summers off if I was an astronaut. 🙂

2] If you had your own spaceship, what would you name it and why? What would it be like?
Oh good golly, I don’t have a clue. Something with my name on it of course. Well, since it’s MY spaceship I would probably have it just like my house – but with all the features in the Jetson’s house.

3] Do you believe in UFOs, aliens, extraterrestrial beings, and so on? Why/why not?
I believe there is life out there somewhere – though I don’t think it’s like us at all, I’m talking like single-celled organisms.

4] If you could create a constellation in the nighttime sky, what would it be? What would you call it?
It would be the BRIGHTEST thing year round. It would be rather huge – in the shape of a crown. And it would be called Princess.

5] Are you a “Star Wars” and/or “Star Trek” fan? What other shows/movies relating to space, if any, do you enjoy?
I can do without both of them. Space shows – oh some of the popular movies that have dealt with it, but not too many.

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It has been raining for hours here.  I like it though.  Rain, not thunderstorms, make me feel at peace.  I do think rainy days are also good sleeping days. Which I did not get a chance to do today.  I like to watch the rain.  I remember being little and standing on the front porch with my dad watching the rain. I still watch it.  It’s calming and relaxing.  It focuses me a little bit.  Does that make any sense?  I think it’s the introvert in me.  It makes me want to curl up.  Interesting how weather can affect our moods.
 
Last night on TV I watched a show about body modification – which I am totally fascinated with.  I should’ve been born 15 years later – I’d be so pierced and tattooed and cut you wouldn’t even recognize me.  I would like to try scarification sometime. I doubt I will though.  I went to bed thinking of a cute design I could have and one that didn’t involve massive amounts of skin.  I am getting another tattoo next week. I am also getting the urge to pierce again.  I really can’t get any more facial tattoos – the nose is enough for my job.  I will probably get an ear one.  Not a normal one though. Probably a transverse lobe piercing.  It’s the one that is in your ear lobe, but sideways, like underneath a normal ear piercing. I think they’re simple looking.  Plus, the ear lobe is a hell of a lot easier than the cartlidge.

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Mark’s box office money got stolen at the college last night. It was about 4,000 dollars.  The details aren’t important, but the act of stealing is.
 
There were only a limited number of people who had access. Actually, about 15 people.  All these people are co-workers, and people we thought of as friends.  All of them. But our hearts broke today.  Everyone who would’ve had access to the money knows how much Mark has been busting his butt for this production. He had a budget of about 2,000 dollars to begin with and the final costs will be about 10,000 dollars or more.  Now do the math. He had been fundraising like hell, promoting the crap out of the show, and doing everything possible to raise money.  Yes, we’ll get it all back due to insurance.  But the person that took it would know how much Mark has stressed about the cost of the show.  I’m sure they’ve heard him lament about it a zillion times.  That’s what hurts most.  I’m sure the person who took it just thought they were “sticking” it to the college. But it affects us.  Mark was sad today – I had to cry a little bit.  Who can you trust?  Why do people do shit like that?
 
I have stolen. Gum in 8th grade from a drug store (on a dare).  in college I would steal library books because I forgot my id. At jobs I’ve taken pens and post-its for home.  But that’s it. I know it probably affects people in the same way, but isn’t 4,000 different than a library book?  Good God!.  I don’t understand it.  I have been thinking about it all day.  It’s confusing to me. 
 
You really have to be ultra careful whom you trust. I wish life wasn’t that way. Why can’t it be different?  Sometimes it seems like there’s only a handful of people on the planet that want a change, and everybody else doesn’t care.  I would love a world of kindness and peace.  No fear.  Just lots of love and respect for people.  Will things only get worse on this planet? How bad will things get?  Can we change it?  Are people wasting energy that even try to change it? The whole idea of humans hurting other humans hurts so badly.  This little crime has made me think so much – especially because someone we know did this to Mark. That’s the part that hurts the most. 
 
Our spirits have been very down today because of it.  It’s not the money, it’s the act of stealing. So sad. But I think I’ll have some tea and read.  This way I can forget about it and pray for a world without crime and hatred and disrespect.

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I had a pretty good day.  I actually got some stuff done at the office – unlike yesterday.  So that was good, but I still have things I need to do tonight.  Homework,  homework, homework.
 
The summer is almost over, and I’m starting to get a little sad about things.  Isn’t that awful?  I remember being young and the summer lasting forever. I was always thinking I would forget the names of my classmates because it had been such a long time since we’d seen each other.  Now, of course, as we get older, time moves differently. I don’t think that’s such a good thing.  I wonder why that happens?  Like, when Christmas would come around I could barely remember the year before, it seemed like eons ago.  Now, I totally remember every detail about last Christmas and can’t believe that I’ve actually started Christmas shopping.  There is some sadness in having time move so quickly.  I know that we kind of control that though.  Our lives are so busy.  When we were little, all we had to do is climb trees and play baseball with the neighborhood kids.  Now, our schedules are busy from morning to night – no matter what season it is. 
 
I remember my mom saying that the summer would go by so fast and I couldn’t understand what she meant by that.  Now I do.  unfortunately.  It really is a sad thing.  But, I guess that’s part of life.  I would love to lounge around all day by the beach or something for months on end.  But then there’s this part of me that wants to watch movies, go shopping, visit friends, get some yardwork done.  The two worlds don’t mix.  I suppose we could take it day by day.  Make one day a lazy day, and make the other a normal busy day.
 
I just read an article in the recent issue of “Time” magazine about Sunday.  How it used to be a day of total rest and relaxation – everything was closed and you weren’t even supposed to do anything.  Do I agree with that?  Yes and no.  Having a day with nothing to do is pure bliss.  But, when would get stuff done?  I’m busy with work during the week, and sometimes just having Saturday to run errands doesn’t cut it.  Times have changed. There’s just more to do. 
 
I feel this connection with the early prairie days for some reason. Now I know the work was hard and strenuous, but there were some positives.   Wouldn’t it be good to sit by the fire every night and sing songs and knit? Or to be outside all the time and not stuck in an office without windows (good thing I’m not claustrophobic).  They say that if you have a particular love of a certain time in history – there’s a chance that you actually were around during that time. I believe that.  I know the times of history that I am drawn to are most likely times I was around before this life. 
 
 But “time” is an issue in all those eras.  Time is relaxing and not so speedy.  Before coming to  Blogger tonight the computer was being slightly slow and I huffed and puffed and rolled by eyes at the screen. Seriously, it was only about a 15 second wait.  What is happening to us?  Can we control it?  How much is in our hands?  How much worse can it get?  I’m thankful I have my summers off of work.  It gives me time to re-group.  I need that.  Otherwise I turn into some cave-dwelling manic crazy person. 
 
 But the sense of peace I find during many summer days needs to carry me through the school year.  It doesn’t always. I try and think about the summer days, but schedules and commitments get in the way.  I need to become more aware of “time” and its effect on me and others.  More peace.  It can’t hurt anyone.

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span style=”font-family:lucida grande;color:#993399;”>Ok, I’m blogging again.  I had some thoughts – basically soap operas,chocolate, homework and the Schwan man. Allow me to expand.
 
I have watched General Hospital since I was in 8th grade.  The reason I started watching it was because my friend  – Stephanie – her mom watched it. So, one day at my house, during the summer Stephanie wanted to watch it.  I didn’t want to really, but I figured, what else is there to do? She told me who everyone was, what their storyline was, who was related to whom – everything.  She said we needed to watch the next day so we knew what was going on.  Well, that’s how habits form.  That whole summer we watched GH while drinking Shasta and eating sunflower seeds.  When school started I would get home in time to see the last 10 to 15 minutes of the show – which still kept me up-to-date on stuff.  Well, I’ve been hooked ever since.  I do not tape it – though there was a time in my life during college when I did. But I used to set my college classes around GH, and each and every frickin’ day my roommate and I would watch GH religiously.  She watched it before I met her, so that was awesome. In grad school I still watched it and I met someone who had been watching it longer than I had. Mark!  Unbelievable!  His mom was a big fan and Markie watched it with her all the time. So he knew things from WAY back when.   During the summers I fall right back in the habit of watching, of course, all my vacations – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break.  If I get home in time I’ll turn it on and catch up.  I feel this odd loyalty to it though.  Like I don’t think I could stop watching it. All those characters have been in my life for years now.  I think I’d feel guilty if I stopped.  But I can’t wait to see what happens next.  I can’t stand Sam by the way.  I wish Sonny would just stay with Carly and forget everyone else.
 
Chocolate – when I was little I only liked fruity candy.  It wasn’t till high school that the chocolate cravings hit me.  I prefer chocolate flavored stuff over anything else.  I sometimes NEED it.  When I have it, then I feel better.  I guess I’m addicted to chocolate AND soap operas.  We usually have some form of chocolate in the house. Mark’s not a big candy eater or anything, so it’s mostly for me.  I swear, I think my cravings for chocolate are chemical or hormone induced because it’s a necessity.  Water, air, chocolate – guess that’s about all I need – oh, and General Hospital!
 
Homework – I call my teacher prep work “homework”.  When I did homework in high school I did it on the floor at the end of my bed.  My grandma made this big ole pillow with a blue and white crocheted cover, and I leaned up against the footboard with that pillow.  Sometimes I would lie down, but mostly I just sat up cross legged.  When I went to college I did homework on my bed.  I know I had a desk, but no one did their homework at their desk.  That wasn’t cool.  At my desk I put on make-up and did my hair – important things. One must impress the frat boys afterall.  (Unfortunately that’s the motto for my college years)  So I would pile stuff on my bed and do homework.  If I was tired, I’d just lie down – on top of books, papers, pens, whatever.  Then I could sit back up and do homework when I was awake.  In grad school I did homework on my couch.  I had a really, really big apartment for a college kid for some reason.  The bedroom was way far away from everything, so the living room seemed the perfect place.  Once in awhile I would sit on the floor and use the coffee table to write upon.  But mostly it was the couch.  Now I am the teacher. I feel best doing my homework on the bed or couch.  It’s usually the couch during the evenings and weekends, but late night studies require the bed.  I don’t sleep on my books anymore though.  But last night I was sprawled on my bed with papers all around, books opened up, pens and highlighters strewn about – and I had a college flashback.  I think that’s why the bed seems like a natural homework place for me.  I like to lug my laptop in there too and work from the bed.  Is there a problem there?  I just re-read this and I’m wondering if I have some strange sexual issues to deal with – what would Freud say? Nevermind, I don’t think I want to know after all.
 
The Schwan man – Schwan’s is a company that sells frozen groceries.  They come every two weeks and you tell them what you want and they get it off their truck.  They started selling ice cream, so they’re really known for that. Well, my guy is named Bobby.  I think I have a love/hate relationship with him.  Most of the time he’s totally fine, but if I place a small order or no order at all – he gets all grumpy and pulls a little attitude with me.  He pulled it on Mark once and Mark just shot some attitude right back at him.  But, most of the time he’s funny, nice and really cool.  I thought about him because he will come today – don’t worry, I’m ordering food so he shouldn’t get all bitchy.  We have a saying in our house everytime we mention Schwans “Don’t piss off Bobby!”  It’s like this warning of impending danger ahead.  One day all the Schwan men of the world may rise up and demand large orders from all their customers.  “What? No ice cream this week?  That’s bullshit!  You’ll have ice cream and like it!”  I’m scaring myself.
 
Well, that seems like enough for right now, I’m sure I could keep writing, but I think the bathrooms are calling.   Yes, I can clearly hear the sink in Mark’s bathroom saying, “For the love of God woman, come clean me!  I have whiskers and toothpaste all over me!”  Ok, ok, I’ll be there, keep your pants on.  In our house, the sinks wear pants.

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