Since I couldn't stop thinking about the sexy mandle I finally gave in and ordered one just to see if it lived up to the (possibly imagined) hype from my extremely dramatic purchase that was clearly not meant to be. It arrived on Sunday, prior to the June 1-4 deadline. I do love a sexy mandle that knows how to be prompt, if not early. Punctuality is attractive.
(For the record, I do realize I'm talking about an effin' candle but listen up: this is basically the only man(dle) I have in my life these days so I'm going to talk about it LOVINGLY. Deal with it.)
So, my sexy mandle arrived early and totally caught me off-guard but totally in a good way. I got a notification that I had something in the Hub locker system thingy and, like always, I wondered if someone had sent me a pony. I'm not sure why I always think that but I do and it's precious.
Anyway, I scanned my barcode and OF COURSE a top door popped open and OF COURSE the package was way in the back of the compartment. Way to make me work for it, you sexy mandle, you. I jumped a few times and inched it forward enough to grab it and went on my merry way. I waited until I got home to unwrap it (I'm a lady, after all) and then took a few moments to just breathe it in.
And it still smells like I thought it did: like freshly showered, handsome, spicy but super clean man. I am obsessed. The only reason I didn't smell it all day today is because I already have candles halfway burned (Not cheating...we were on a break. Literally. Broken and destroyed) and because my APUSH guy (the guy I teach APUSH with) came over today to work on cleaning up and organizing the content we teach so it will be more streamlined and easily accessible when our team literally doubles in the fall. He's coming back tomorrow and we'll work on APUSH until we finish it all. Then we'll take a short break and do it all over again with WHAP next month. I didn’t have TIME to just sniff my sexy mandle.
Basically, it sounds like we're going to be spending a solid amount of time together and I'm super okay with that. Better than okay, really, which is hilarious because if you asked me in October if I would want to hang out with him and we'd be able to talk and joke about a variety of different topics, I would have straight up laughed in your face. The fall was a challenge but it got a lot better toward the end of first semester and second semester was freakin' amazing until...you already know.
COVID-19.
But today, while sitting at my dining room table, he pretty much declared me "in," so that was an exciting development. We read some of the AP Exam DBQs our students submitted and then we discussed and laughed and talked about more stuff and then finally got to what we planned to do. We got through an entire unit and streamlined it as best we could. As we work through the rest of them the idea is to have one of the new team members look at the stuff and make sure it makes sense. We work well together and I think we have fun together so it doesn't even really feel like work.
That's a super great combo.
For background noise I have "Pride & Prejudice" on and it makes me wonder if Mr. Darcy smelled like sexy mandle. I have zero doubts that, at the time Jane Austen penned this brilliant literary masterpiece (turned screenplay adaptation), people did, in fact, NOT smell like sexy mandle. I'm sure the Hollywood version is much different. To find a man that smells like...that...I'd go all in.
But the challenge is finding that since I think it's probably considered socially awkward (and perhaps frowned upon) to randomly go around sniffing people.
Still, I wouldn't put it past me.
Aubs
Monday, June 1, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Weirdest "last day of school" ever
If the school year had continued the way it was supposed to, today would have been the last day of school. Tomorrow the staff would've gone to school and finished the stuff we needed to do to shut our rooms down for the summer and we would've kicked off the summer break by about noon. But since this year very quickly became anything but typical, the last day of school, for some of the kids anyway, was March 12. It's so crazy to think about just how long we've been at home.
The second half of the year is basically just one of upheaval and it's left me super uneasy and just unfinished. Without being able to put eyes on my kids I don't really know how they are. There is a huge difference between saying everything is fine or good and actually meaning it/being fine or good. There's a lot of gray area with a lot of my kids right now and it stresses me out.
Speaking of kids, though, I had a great chat with my firstborn today. He opted to jump from high school to college and today was virtual graduation for his high school class. That also brings some sadness to my life because we missed out on that opportunity to celebrate his achievement and a milestone but I also respect him for making a choice and sticking with it. He said some of his friends said he was still in the digital graduation ceremony so that's interesting to me and it makes me sad that I missed it! Later this weekend all of his peers will get their diploma covers on home plate at the new Globe Life Park and that would've been a really awesome experience, too.
Since it already feels like we've been on break for a while, even with working and prepping kids for an AP exam, next week my APUSH/WHAP partner and I are going to start planning and figure out a schedule for next year. Since we don't know what next year will look like, when it will start, if it will be in person/digital, or when it will "switch," I think we both want to be sure we have all the various contingencies covered.
It's just all really weird. I don't even know how to describe it but I just feel a weird pit in my stomach and I don't have any clue why.
It's not my favorite.
Aubs
The second half of the year is basically just one of upheaval and it's left me super uneasy and just unfinished. Without being able to put eyes on my kids I don't really know how they are. There is a huge difference between saying everything is fine or good and actually meaning it/being fine or good. There's a lot of gray area with a lot of my kids right now and it stresses me out.
Speaking of kids, though, I had a great chat with my firstborn today. He opted to jump from high school to college and today was virtual graduation for his high school class. That also brings some sadness to my life because we missed out on that opportunity to celebrate his achievement and a milestone but I also respect him for making a choice and sticking with it. He said some of his friends said he was still in the digital graduation ceremony so that's interesting to me and it makes me sad that I missed it! Later this weekend all of his peers will get their diploma covers on home plate at the new Globe Life Park and that would've been a really awesome experience, too.
Since it already feels like we've been on break for a while, even with working and prepping kids for an AP exam, next week my APUSH/WHAP partner and I are going to start planning and figure out a schedule for next year. Since we don't know what next year will look like, when it will start, if it will be in person/digital, or when it will "switch," I think we both want to be sure we have all the various contingencies covered.
It's just all really weird. I don't even know how to describe it but I just feel a weird pit in my stomach and I don't have any clue why.
It's not my favorite.
Aubs
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Coffee dates are the only dates
Today I had a coffee date (pretty much the only kind of date I go on these days!) with one of the girls I taught for the second half of the 2018-2019 school year. Although she was only in my class for a semester we bonded super fast and she sent me a video last week on the "anniversary" of the last day of school from the year before. In the video she's crying (she never looks like she's crying while I am always blotchy and red when I cry) and says, "I'm only crying because I'm going to miss Ms. Williams. I hate this place." It is the most "her" statement ever and I am so grateful for the chance to know her because she is as sunshiny as her favorite color! (It's yellow. Duh)
Anyway, it was fantastic to catch up with her and I only cried once so that was a bonus and it was just what I needed to come back home and start organizing and destroying the clutter left over from moving. Since I haven't established a "place" for everything yet (like where I'll dump the mail) it just kind of winds up everywhere and it's not a very relaxing environment. In the condo I put the mail on the "game" cabinet by the door when I walked in. It was right below the hooks for my keys so it made sense. In my apartment the front door opens into a hallway and my bedroom is right by the front door (leave me alone, burglars!) so you literally have to walk all the way down the hall to the kitchen/living area to drop anything anywhere. Well...you do now. I had a vacuum cleaner, still in the box, in the hallway and I was using that as the place to drop mail but then I had to actually vacuum so that stopped being a thing.
Since I am always the perfect example of logic and caution, I was using scissors to slice open the box...and my right middle finger. It's fine, though. No stitches. Just a camo bandaid. You can barely see it.
Super lame. Don't even care. It stays!
This summer the people directly on my team (well, mostly just one of them for now) and I are going to get together and plan out what we want to do for next year if it's a regular year, which we know it won't be, and to prepare for a digital/hybrid year. It's overwhelming, especially since we have two AP classes to prepare for but we make a damn good team, even without any additional team members. That's all the more motivation to make sure my apartment is the way I want it to be...so we can work effectively.
It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I moved into this place and, while I do really like it a lot, it's been really hard to go from having a teen-aged roommate to being all alone. It's quiet, which is nice sometimes, but it's often too quiet. It's going to be an adjustment but I'm just wondering how long it might take because I like to plan things out. I need to know when this feeling of great emptiness will start to ebb or, if it's not going to, how I can make it suck less...without getting a dog or finding a boyfriend.
Those have both been suggested and tabled for another time, thank you very much.
I'm working on the second season of The Last Kingdom on Netflix right now. It was suggested, several times, in our Zoom sessions over the last couple of months and, although it is incredibly bloody, it's freakin' brilliant. The storyline, the twists, the way it incorporates the hatred, love, defiance, passion, and sheer will is just fantastic. Disclaimer: When it says it's rated TV-MA for gore they are NOT lying.
Aubs
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Three for Three
After a rainy weekend where I basically slept Sunday away (I must've needed it) and an impromptu adventure in a downpour on Monday to go look for a new washing machine since the repair man broke it while he was changing out the heating element in my dryer (insert eye roll here), I was still not thrilled to have the sun prying my eyelids open at stupid o'clock this morning. Because I am a kind and caring human being I spent most of the day (literally until almost 10:00 p.m.) on Google docs with several of my students because today is the deadline for the AP classes that require portfolios.
It's so funny how I was so adamant about how I wanted my story/path to go because I realize now that the path I desperately wanted would make me so miserable. It's funny how life works.
One of them asked for help back in March, before we went on the Spring Break that lasted an eternity. They would write, I would ask for clarification via comments, suggest edits, and pose questions to help them go deeper into their research. At the end of March they were about 1/3 of the way done...and that's the way it stayed...until about 48 hours ago. I nagged, I bribed, I threatened to sit on the sidewalk outside their house and do work but those threats fell on deaf ears. To be fair the kid admitted that they needed to get in gear but then found other things to do instead. I still do that but I'm not about to admit that when I've spent all this time trying to convince them that they are their own worst enemy. You know, like Lit: "It's no surprise to me, I am my own worst enemy. Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me. Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? I didn't mean to call you that..."
Anyway, the requirement for this particular essay was a 2000 word limit and, by the time they got finished writing and I got finished making suggestions it was significantly past that. I'm always up for a challenge, though I got them to 2000 words with edits. While I was editing and making revision suggestions, I got another invitation to edit...another essay, with a 1000 word count this time. EASY PEASY. I got that student squared away without much effort since I was super familiar with the prompt by that point, having it in the back of my head for the last 12+ weeks.
I turned my attention to another prompt and worked on that one with another student for a couple of hours until they were ready to submit about an hour ago. Three essays. Three exact word counts. It's such a huge relief for me; I can't imagine how relieved they are! And all of this editing and revision just further reiterates to me that these kids desperately need help with writing skills, which is great because I officially received my teaching assignment for next year and I'm teaching AP Modern World, AP U.S. History and Dual Credit Gov/Eco! It's what I wanted and I'm happy that I am being given the opportunity to work with groups of kids for multiple years in a row. It makes me so happy that I found somewhere that is a good fit for me and where I truly enjoy the people that I work with.
It's so funny how I was so adamant about how I wanted my story/path to go because I realize now that the path I desperately wanted would make me so miserable. It's funny how life works.
It's going to be so weird when school is technically over on Thursday. I'm already tired of all of the free time I have and looking forward to the prepping and planning I'm doing with my team for next year when we will inevitably be digital for part of the year. Having a collective team is something that will be new to me; it's always just been me and another person for AP. To have a true collaborative team will be a great thing.
You know...if it actually happens.
Aubs
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Sexy Mandle
Today was my day date with my work bestie, Jenna. I have been looking forward to this day all week! I got to our designated meeting location first so I ordered both of us coffee and waited for her and our two mini-men to get there. Our first stop? HomeGoods. When I saw the sign I legitimately felt giddy. I'm not kidding. It's been sooooo long and, although I am not super into home decor, I love a good candle or funky piece of wall art that I never knew I needed until right that moment.
Isn't it crazy how that works?
Anyway, we perused the aisles of HomeGoods (and TJ Maxx because they were connected!) and I found a couple of candles that were fresh and clean smelling, bordering on manly. I like these candles because they permeate spaces well and they aren't overpowering. I take candle purchases very seriously. Jenna found a super cute wall sign with hooks for by her front door that has an old-fashioned light bulb on it THAT ACTUALLY LIGHTS UP!
Our purchases made, we decided to go to Target because we were on a roll. By that point the baby opted to take a little snooze and the big little man was happily holding each of our hands and walking around with this Toy Story cowboy boots on the wrong feet because that's how all the cool 4-year-olds wear them. Duh. In Target we wandered but didn't really find what we were looking for so we bought a coloring book for the little man and said our goodbyes for lunch and naptime.
I kept going, though, because I was on a roll and my coffee had 4 shots of espresso. I'm on a hunt for something for the wall above my couch to tie it (a neutral khaki color) to my favorite chair (red floral print) that I will be cremated in someday so nobody else can have it. I'm probably not kidding. My boys have told me, on more than one occasion, if I were a piece of furniture I would be that chair. I'm not sure if they were calling me square/boxy or fat but, if they were, I'll take it because that's how much I love that damn chair.
Anyway, Kirklands was meh. Hobby Lobby was worse. World Market was only doing curbside pickup, which is absolutely stupid. You don't choose what you want at World Market...World Market tells you what you need when you peruse its aisles. Everybody knows that. Jerks. As I was wrapping up my Highland Village adventure my mom texted me to see if I could go by Target or Walmart for her. "For what?" I asked. "A pocket hose," she replied.
I am not a mature person, friends. I laughed and laughed like I was a 15-year-old boy. I had tears streaming down my face. I told her to mobile order it and I would pick it up because there was NO WAY I'd be able to check out with a pocket hose and keep a straight face or not cause a scene. Four shots of espresso in a short time, remember? And who in the hell came up with that name? For the love of all things...I don't even know what could be better and less awkward. I'm at a loss.
I made my way to Target and had to go in to get the "item." Oh, Jesus..."item" makes it even worse! I had to go inside to pick up her package...nope, not any better. When my mother's order was ready I had to go inside to pick it up. Taylor, a not unattractive male, greeted me with a smile and I told him I was there as a "designated pick up person" to pickup something my mother ordered. He scanned the barcode on my phone and looked at the display and...y'all, he burst out laughing! It was the "go ahead" I needed so we were both just standing there, laughing, for about 30 seconds until he said, "I'll be right back with...that." Still laughing, and getting strange looks from EVERYONE around us, Taylor disappeared, then reappeared a few minutes later with a bag. He looked me dead in the eye, told me to have a great afternoon, and then, half a beat later, we both started laughing all over again.
Since it was only 3:00 I decided to go to the other HomeGoods (nearer to my apartment) to see if they had any different wall art since I'm going to obsess about that until I find something that pulls my living room together. They did not but the bonus about the shopping center across the highway from me is that there is basically EVERYTHING you could want over there: Kroger, Total Wine, 1/2 Price Books, Michaels, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, Target, Ross, Ulta, Tuesday Morning, Kohls, and probably more that I've forgotten. TJ Maxx/HomeGoods and Ross are right next door to each other so I popped into Ross and...that's where it happened. I met my perfect match.
I meandered back to the candles and smelled a few of them. The one labeled "tobacco" was too sweet smelling but I picked up this tall, black candle and sniffed, preparing myself for something that would be overwhelming. I was overwhelmed, alright...that candle smelled so damn good that I was instantly mesmerized. It smelled like how I would want my boyfriend to smell (if I had one) when he was freshly showered. Since I don't (have one), I figured the candle would have to do. I scoured the shelves for another one but it was the only one. Of course it was. A girl should be a one man, I mean candle, girl.
I took my purchase to the front and waited patiently to pay for my newest prized possession. This is not me objectifying a man, for the record. I'm talking about a damn candle. I took 10 steps outside the store and heard a deafening crash while my bag simultaneously felt significantly lighter. I looked down to see that the bag had a huge slit in it and my beautiful, sexy smelling candle was lying on the ground, covered in shards of glass. I picked it up, brokenhearted, and took it right back into the store. I told the cashier (a different one) what happened and she said, "I'll give you your money back." and then she smelled it and said, "OHMYGOD that smells like a sexy man" Yes, yes it does. BUT IT WAS MINE FIRST! I felt very territorial over my broken sexy man candle (sexy mandle? YESSSSS!) which is utterly ridiculous but whatever. I'm ridiculous. She lamented over the broken candle with me for a few minutes while she issued my return and told me to take a picture so I could find it on Amazon or something. Brilliant idea!
As I left the store with an empty heart and empty hands I did what any rational person would do: I created a social media post. I knew that it would be met with a lot of laughing face responses because the people I am friends with on social media actually know me. They know I've been single for a decade (and what kind of life I had before that). They know that I've toyed with the idea of dating but ultimately always come up with reasons why it's a no-go. And most of them know that I'm maybe a little more open to the idea these days but not down for the online dating scene because it creeps me out.
So when I said, "I found a candle that smells the way I would want my boyfriend to smell...you know, if I had one, so I bought it. As I walked out of the store, the bag ripped and the candle shattered on the ground. How poetic. And typical." I knew it would generate laughter. And, just as it often goes, it was the only one in the store. This is the best metaphor for my love life, or lack thereof, ever.
I can't help but laugh.
And spend time tracking down where else I can purchase this candle...you know, until I find a man that smells even better than this candle which, for the record, I'm not sure is even possible, but it probably is because...pheromones, am I right?
Sigh. I'm going to dream about this damn candle. I wonder if the candle will take on any specific person or human characteristics in my dream.
Oh, Jesus, this could get REALLY awkward.
Aubs
Isn't it crazy how that works?
Anyway, we perused the aisles of HomeGoods (and TJ Maxx because they were connected!) and I found a couple of candles that were fresh and clean smelling, bordering on manly. I like these candles because they permeate spaces well and they aren't overpowering. I take candle purchases very seriously. Jenna found a super cute wall sign with hooks for by her front door that has an old-fashioned light bulb on it THAT ACTUALLY LIGHTS UP!
Our purchases made, we decided to go to Target because we were on a roll. By that point the baby opted to take a little snooze and the big little man was happily holding each of our hands and walking around with this Toy Story cowboy boots on the wrong feet because that's how all the cool 4-year-olds wear them. Duh. In Target we wandered but didn't really find what we were looking for so we bought a coloring book for the little man and said our goodbyes for lunch and naptime.
I kept going, though, because I was on a roll and my coffee had 4 shots of espresso. I'm on a hunt for something for the wall above my couch to tie it (a neutral khaki color) to my favorite chair (red floral print) that I will be cremated in someday so nobody else can have it. I'm probably not kidding. My boys have told me, on more than one occasion, if I were a piece of furniture I would be that chair. I'm not sure if they were calling me square/boxy or fat but, if they were, I'll take it because that's how much I love that damn chair.
Anyway, Kirklands was meh. Hobby Lobby was worse. World Market was only doing curbside pickup, which is absolutely stupid. You don't choose what you want at World Market...World Market tells you what you need when you peruse its aisles. Everybody knows that. Jerks. As I was wrapping up my Highland Village adventure my mom texted me to see if I could go by Target or Walmart for her. "For what?" I asked. "A pocket hose," she replied.
I am not a mature person, friends. I laughed and laughed like I was a 15-year-old boy. I had tears streaming down my face. I told her to mobile order it and I would pick it up because there was NO WAY I'd be able to check out with a pocket hose and keep a straight face or not cause a scene. Four shots of espresso in a short time, remember? And who in the hell came up with that name? For the love of all things...I don't even know what could be better and less awkward. I'm at a loss.
I made my way to Target and had to go in to get the "item." Oh, Jesus..."item" makes it even worse! I had to go inside to pick up her package...nope, not any better. When my mother's order was ready I had to go inside to pick it up. Taylor, a not unattractive male, greeted me with a smile and I told him I was there as a "designated pick up person" to pickup something my mother ordered. He scanned the barcode on my phone and looked at the display and...y'all, he burst out laughing! It was the "go ahead" I needed so we were both just standing there, laughing, for about 30 seconds until he said, "I'll be right back with...that." Still laughing, and getting strange looks from EVERYONE around us, Taylor disappeared, then reappeared a few minutes later with a bag. He looked me dead in the eye, told me to have a great afternoon, and then, half a beat later, we both started laughing all over again.
Since it was only 3:00 I decided to go to the other HomeGoods (nearer to my apartment) to see if they had any different wall art since I'm going to obsess about that until I find something that pulls my living room together. They did not but the bonus about the shopping center across the highway from me is that there is basically EVERYTHING you could want over there: Kroger, Total Wine, 1/2 Price Books, Michaels, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, Target, Ross, Ulta, Tuesday Morning, Kohls, and probably more that I've forgotten. TJ Maxx/HomeGoods and Ross are right next door to each other so I popped into Ross and...that's where it happened. I met my perfect match.
I meandered back to the candles and smelled a few of them. The one labeled "tobacco" was too sweet smelling but I picked up this tall, black candle and sniffed, preparing myself for something that would be overwhelming. I was overwhelmed, alright...that candle smelled so damn good that I was instantly mesmerized. It smelled like how I would want my boyfriend to smell (if I had one) when he was freshly showered. Since I don't (have one), I figured the candle would have to do. I scoured the shelves for another one but it was the only one. Of course it was. A girl should be a one man, I mean candle, girl.
I took my purchase to the front and waited patiently to pay for my newest prized possession. This is not me objectifying a man, for the record. I'm talking about a damn candle. I took 10 steps outside the store and heard a deafening crash while my bag simultaneously felt significantly lighter. I looked down to see that the bag had a huge slit in it and my beautiful, sexy smelling candle was lying on the ground, covered in shards of glass. I picked it up, brokenhearted, and took it right back into the store. I told the cashier (a different one) what happened and she said, "I'll give you your money back." and then she smelled it and said, "OHMYGOD that smells like a sexy man" Yes, yes it does. BUT IT WAS MINE FIRST! I felt very territorial over my broken sexy man candle (sexy mandle? YESSSSS!) which is utterly ridiculous but whatever. I'm ridiculous. She lamented over the broken candle with me for a few minutes while she issued my return and told me to take a picture so I could find it on Amazon or something. Brilliant idea!
As I left the store with an empty heart and empty hands I did what any rational person would do: I created a social media post. I knew that it would be met with a lot of laughing face responses because the people I am friends with on social media actually know me. They know I've been single for a decade (and what kind of life I had before that). They know that I've toyed with the idea of dating but ultimately always come up with reasons why it's a no-go. And most of them know that I'm maybe a little more open to the idea these days but not down for the online dating scene because it creeps me out.
So when I said, "I found a candle that smells the way I would want my boyfriend to smell...you know, if I had one, so I bought it. As I walked out of the store, the bag ripped and the candle shattered on the ground. How poetic. And typical." I knew it would generate laughter. And, just as it often goes, it was the only one in the store. This is the best metaphor for my love life, or lack thereof, ever.
I can't help but laugh.
And spend time tracking down where else I can purchase this candle...you know, until I find a man that smells even better than this candle which, for the record, I'm not sure is even possible, but it probably is because...pheromones, am I right?
Sigh. I'm going to dream about this damn candle. I wonder if the candle will take on any specific person or human characteristics in my dream.
Oh, Jesus, this could get REALLY awkward.
Aubs
Friday, May 22, 2020
Officially Unofficial
I submitted my final grades last Friday in anticipation of them being due this Friday. I knew I wasn't taking anything else and everyone was going to pass for the year. It was fine.
We were also officially unofficially told what we're teaching next year so, while we wait for that to be publicized, I am excited about next year and what my counterpart and I will be able to do with the groups of students that we will potentially have for two years. We'll teach them how to write in AP Modern World and then polish those skills in AP U.S. the following year. We'll be a two person team for sophomores and have half of the APUSH classes (with the other half divided among two new-to-us teachers). We're supposed to attend a summer institute together to help us plan how to introduce those skills and content to build on it the following year. I'm excited. Yeah, I know. I'm a nerd.
I'm also officially enrolled for the fall to begin my MA in History. I'm weirdly excited about the seemingly overwhelming book list...I suppose because it will keep me busy enough to not notice that I am all by myself. Everyone (read: moms who are overworked and exhausted) thinks it sounds like a dream. I'm here to tell you that it's isolating and lonely. I miss my own boys daily and I miss my school kids who fill those voids, Monday-Friday anyway, a whole lot, too. And I already know what you're going to say...I should get a dog (I'm not sure I'm home enough, quarantine time excluded) or a boyfriend (I hear I'm somewhat intimidating).
I would love to get a dog but it would be selfish of me and unfair to the pup. I'll just borrow one or claim someone else's when I need a canine fix. I would consider dating but man...just trying to wrap my brain around starting that process is something that makes me not want to do it. I'm not a fan of online dating. I won't do it. I've always said if I can't meet someone on my own: at the grocery store (total cliche, I know), or the ball fields (sadly, no longer a thing), or the library, or SOMETHING then I'm not sure I want to. An organic meeting is so much better to me than "selling" some version of yourself on an online forum. Is it accurate? Who knows. But I am always unapologetically me and I see a lot of people who meet someone on a dating website only to find out that the real life version is far from the profile version that made them swipe right or whatever the hell it is that's "in" at the moment. Maybe I've already met him. Maybe I never will. How's that for optimism and pessimism all at once? The guys at work are rubbing off on me.
Speaking of the guys at work...they went to school early in the week to shut down their rooms for the summer. Well, one of them did. The other one doesn't have a room (sore subject so moving on) but went for moral support (I guess). They checked my room on Monday and reported back that my room had not been touched. Other rooms in other parts of the building were broken down by custodial staff in a way that made people lose their possessions and I was concerned. They knew that was happening so they checked for me, a kind gesture, no doubt. Truth be told, they were hoping to find a dead rodent with a half-eaten Snickers hanging out of its mouth but they were disappointed. As the "Social Studies Team Mom" (which I hear is an affectionate nickname/title, allegedly) I have snacks and supplies and pretty much everything. They can walk in and say, "Hey, do you have a..." and I'm already holding whatever it is out to them to take. It's all part of the service.
When I walked in on Thursday, my designated day, I found my room in a state of utter chaos with everything torn down off the walls and shoved into the middle of the room. While most of my stuff was present and accounted for, the haphazard way my belongings were treated was really frustrating. My Betsy Ross flag, for example, was wadded up on the floor under a chair. My large coloring poster (coloring reduces stress but the kids were afraid to color on it for the LONGEST TIME) was pulled off the wall, as were some wall stickers that "they" decided to stick to my poster. FRUSTRATING. Also, one of my rugs was missing. It was a rug most people always tripped over (no shortage of hilarity there because nobody was ever actually injured) but it was still mine and I paid for it. I sent a picture to the guys and then we discussed how nobody has any respect and we should've just all gone together. This is a huge statement for so many reasons but mostly because it made me realize that we are a unit, a group. I mean, I've known that for a while but this solidified it.
So today when I was excitedly talking about my day date tomorrow with my work bestie and her boys, it cracked me up when one of them asked me if I was sure Homegoods was open because he thought he might go get some candles (to help disguise the puppy smell that sometimes happens) I opened my mouth to ask what kind of smells he liked and he willingly supplied the information without me even having to ask...so tomorrow, while we're sniffing candles, I will also be sniffing with him in mind because we have similar candle tastes.
Isn't that just precious?
Aubs
We were also officially unofficially told what we're teaching next year so, while we wait for that to be publicized, I am excited about next year and what my counterpart and I will be able to do with the groups of students that we will potentially have for two years. We'll teach them how to write in AP Modern World and then polish those skills in AP U.S. the following year. We'll be a two person team for sophomores and have half of the APUSH classes (with the other half divided among two new-to-us teachers). We're supposed to attend a summer institute together to help us plan how to introduce those skills and content to build on it the following year. I'm excited. Yeah, I know. I'm a nerd.
I'm also officially enrolled for the fall to begin my MA in History. I'm weirdly excited about the seemingly overwhelming book list...I suppose because it will keep me busy enough to not notice that I am all by myself. Everyone (read: moms who are overworked and exhausted) thinks it sounds like a dream. I'm here to tell you that it's isolating and lonely. I miss my own boys daily and I miss my school kids who fill those voids, Monday-Friday anyway, a whole lot, too. And I already know what you're going to say...I should get a dog (I'm not sure I'm home enough, quarantine time excluded) or a boyfriend (I hear I'm somewhat intimidating).
I would love to get a dog but it would be selfish of me and unfair to the pup. I'll just borrow one or claim someone else's when I need a canine fix. I would consider dating but man...just trying to wrap my brain around starting that process is something that makes me not want to do it. I'm not a fan of online dating. I won't do it. I've always said if I can't meet someone on my own: at the grocery store (total cliche, I know), or the ball fields (sadly, no longer a thing), or the library, or SOMETHING then I'm not sure I want to. An organic meeting is so much better to me than "selling" some version of yourself on an online forum. Is it accurate? Who knows. But I am always unapologetically me and I see a lot of people who meet someone on a dating website only to find out that the real life version is far from the profile version that made them swipe right or whatever the hell it is that's "in" at the moment. Maybe I've already met him. Maybe I never will. How's that for optimism and pessimism all at once? The guys at work are rubbing off on me.
Speaking of the guys at work...they went to school early in the week to shut down their rooms for the summer. Well, one of them did. The other one doesn't have a room (sore subject so moving on) but went for moral support (I guess). They checked my room on Monday and reported back that my room had not been touched. Other rooms in other parts of the building were broken down by custodial staff in a way that made people lose their possessions and I was concerned. They knew that was happening so they checked for me, a kind gesture, no doubt. Truth be told, they were hoping to find a dead rodent with a half-eaten Snickers hanging out of its mouth but they were disappointed. As the "Social Studies Team Mom" (which I hear is an affectionate nickname/title, allegedly) I have snacks and supplies and pretty much everything. They can walk in and say, "Hey, do you have a..." and I'm already holding whatever it is out to them to take. It's all part of the service.
When I walked in on Thursday, my designated day, I found my room in a state of utter chaos with everything torn down off the walls and shoved into the middle of the room. While most of my stuff was present and accounted for, the haphazard way my belongings were treated was really frustrating. My Betsy Ross flag, for example, was wadded up on the floor under a chair. My large coloring poster (coloring reduces stress but the kids were afraid to color on it for the LONGEST TIME) was pulled off the wall, as were some wall stickers that "they" decided to stick to my poster. FRUSTRATING. Also, one of my rugs was missing. It was a rug most people always tripped over (no shortage of hilarity there because nobody was ever actually injured) but it was still mine and I paid for it. I sent a picture to the guys and then we discussed how nobody has any respect and we should've just all gone together. This is a huge statement for so many reasons but mostly because it made me realize that we are a unit, a group. I mean, I've known that for a while but this solidified it.
So today when I was excitedly talking about my day date tomorrow with my work bestie and her boys, it cracked me up when one of them asked me if I was sure Homegoods was open because he thought he might go get some candles (to help disguise the puppy smell that sometimes happens) I opened my mouth to ask what kind of smells he liked and he willingly supplied the information without me even having to ask...so tomorrow, while we're sniffing candles, I will also be sniffing with him in mind because we have similar candle tastes.
Isn't that just precious?
Aubs
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
It's all downhill now
Now that the AP Exam is over I have very few excuses left to keep me from getting my new place organized but you best believe I'm trying to come up with things to keep me occupied. The registrar at school is thrilled because I fill out her forms and return them immediately. She calls me "Speedy." It's the little things, I guess.
One of the really fun things I've been doing lately is appliance repair. Apparently the move up three flights of stairs caused problems to both of the secondhand appliances that I recently purchased so today I had a repairman TWICE and the maintenance guy from the apartment complex once. It's been fun. The maintenance guy hates Texas (he's from Florida where it's humid but there's the ocean) and the repairman thinks I should move in with my mom or find a man to buy me a new washing machine.
So, sexism is still alive and well...have no fear! I've also talked myself out of and back into (and out of and back into) grad school. I think the compromise I've come up with is to defer my start date to the fall semester so I have time to prep and plan for the plot twists that are coming this fall that are basically impossible to plan for but I'm still going to try. It's also referred to as "driving myself batshit crazy."
I also had my end of year summative today. It was interesting because I was never actually formally observed by anyone so there were only a few areas that we could discuss. What we did discuss was how I worked hard to forge those relationships with students and coworkers, alike, and how I am "the real deal." At one point, my appraiser even said, "Best hiring decision ever!" so that was a fun time. He alluded to me being able to take on more advanced classes next year and being able to continue working directly with my counterpart from this year which makes me happy.
As I was detailing some of the highlights of my summative during our Zoom this afternoon and we were laughing and talking about room clean-out (they've already been; I go on Thursday), I got a text from my work bestie who was, very clearly, distraught. It seems that the additional custodial staff hired to clean and sanitize our building went a little crazy and threw away some of the (irreplaceable) items hanging on her wall: notes from former students and stuff like that. I feel her pain. I would be devastated if that happened to me. It makes me concerned as to whether or not my box of mementos will be intact when I go up there to shut my room down on Thursday.
It's not the quantity of them, or even what they say but instead it's the intent behind them. Notes are personal. They take time. They take effort. The mean something. And each time I read them they take me back to reliving those moments with the writers and that means the world to me.
Aubs
One of the really fun things I've been doing lately is appliance repair. Apparently the move up three flights of stairs caused problems to both of the secondhand appliances that I recently purchased so today I had a repairman TWICE and the maintenance guy from the apartment complex once. It's been fun. The maintenance guy hates Texas (he's from Florida where it's humid but there's the ocean) and the repairman thinks I should move in with my mom or find a man to buy me a new washing machine.
So, sexism is still alive and well...have no fear! I've also talked myself out of and back into (and out of and back into) grad school. I think the compromise I've come up with is to defer my start date to the fall semester so I have time to prep and plan for the plot twists that are coming this fall that are basically impossible to plan for but I'm still going to try. It's also referred to as "driving myself batshit crazy."
I also had my end of year summative today. It was interesting because I was never actually formally observed by anyone so there were only a few areas that we could discuss. What we did discuss was how I worked hard to forge those relationships with students and coworkers, alike, and how I am "the real deal." At one point, my appraiser even said, "Best hiring decision ever!" so that was a fun time. He alluded to me being able to take on more advanced classes next year and being able to continue working directly with my counterpart from this year which makes me happy.
As I was detailing some of the highlights of my summative during our Zoom this afternoon and we were laughing and talking about room clean-out (they've already been; I go on Thursday), I got a text from my work bestie who was, very clearly, distraught. It seems that the additional custodial staff hired to clean and sanitize our building went a little crazy and threw away some of the (irreplaceable) items hanging on her wall: notes from former students and stuff like that. I feel her pain. I would be devastated if that happened to me. It makes me concerned as to whether or not my box of mementos will be intact when I go up there to shut my room down on Thursday.
It's not the quantity of them, or even what they say but instead it's the intent behind them. Notes are personal. They take time. They take effort. The mean something. And each time I read them they take me back to reliving those moments with the writers and that means the world to me.
Aubs
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