things and whatnot

hey ya'll.
So we just got our contracts for next year, and I will be teaching at the same school again. And each year we teach, we get a little more pay, so that's good too. Next year instead of being in the crappiest mobile classrooms ever, 1/2 a mile from the main building, we'll be in the basement of the building. I'm one of the lucky ones that got a room with windows, even if they do look out onto one of the cafeteria type spaces and not the actual outside. It will be nice to have reasonable access to a bathroom (I've seriously had to ration out my liquid intake during the day) and a copier.

We have 6 school days left, and 3 of those are final exams. I'm so ready for the year to be over and have a little break. It's hard enough being a first year teacher, let alone coming in midyear to an awkward situation. I think we've done a pretty good job of getting caught up. Next year should be a little easier since I'll get to go through the new teacher orientation and learn a few more of the little details of things I was supposed to do and didn't know about this year.

I'm also attending a program over the summer at Lynchburg College. It's a 6 week program of education classes designed to turn my provisional license into a permanent license. Looking forward to learning some new strategies and maybe meeting a few people to hang out with.

Speaking of people to hang out with, I've been dating Glenn for 2 months now. Things are going swimmingly, and I think it's the happiest I've been in a relationship, possibly ever. It's still early in the game, but it's good.

I've also made friends with one of the other Spanish teachers, Jamie. We have mucho en común. She'll also be teaching at JF again next year, and I'm really glad. She is also my neighbor, and whenever we go out somewhere strangers think we're twin sisters. Even though we don't really look that much alike. Our students also think that we're basically the same person. Scary, no?

Oh, and I'll be in Knoxville tomorrow. Probably for the last time til the end of the summer.

america's next top tillie

I just uploaded more Tillie pics here!

Tillie's "Previous Top Model's Celebrity Photo Shoot" Photo Shoot

In honor of the ANTM finale this week, Tillie said she wanted to do a photoshoot inspired by the celebrity photoshoots past contestants have done. She chose Melrose's depiction of Donald Trump as her muse. Here are the results:



Sometimes, like Dionne, I have to remind her not to look mean or do "something called scowling".


I keep reminding her not to lose her neck in her pictures.

the state of the world

is sad.
Today a student brought a gun to the school where I teach. No one was hurt and the gun was confiscated. Here's a link to the news article.

It really saddens me that some people have decided that shooting someone is a solution.

la gordita

so the word "gordita" in Spanish translates to "little fat one" which is what I'm now calling Tillie. The Prednisone she's been taking for the last month has really increased her appetite, and she has gained back the weight she lost while she was in the hospital. I think she weighs more now than she ever has. I couldn't be happier!

We have 16 school days left. I can't wait to have a break!

ew yuck!

So the walls between the townhouses here are relatively thin and not soundproof, so sometimes I hear snippets of conversations, etc. Last weekend the Korean neighbors on one side of me had some kind of group sing-a-long with a song the kids had been practicing on the piano for the last few weeks. There were at least 5 voices, a guitar, a clarinet, a saxophone, and the piano. Pretty singing, too bad I don't know Korean. It sort of sounded like the theme song from Rocky though.

Today I went into my downstairs bathroom just in time to hear the other neighbor's young daughter on the other side of the wall exclaim "ew! yuck!" and then start singing a song that goes "We're going for a trip in our favorite rocket ship!" It was really cute.

More anonymous secrets

Found Magazine is rocking my world on this lovely Saturday morning. This one is my favorite so far.

Shear Genius is sooooo much better than Top Design.

intimate strangers

Lately I've been fascinated by the secret thoughts of strangers. I love going to post secret every Sunday morning and seeing what people have sent out into the world.

I'm also very intrigued by The Letter Project and I can't wait to see what my letter says!

I also enjoy Group Hug, but not as much as post secret because it doesn't require as much effort, and I like looking at the pictures on post secret.

I want to start making collages all the time. I made one a few months ago of things I want to be/see/have/do: