Missing In Action

As Texas Peach pointed out, I’ve been pretty quiet lately. This last week of school has taken a lot out of me (proctoring exams for students with 504 accommodations is draining) and I’ve been too exhausted to even think about composing an entry. This weekend is going to be extremely hectic, too, so I’ll quickly try to catch you up to speed.

I had the second series of Epidural Steroid Injections last Friday. The anesthesia made such a difference. I felt pretty good after the procedure, and the surprisingly mild discomfort lasted through Saturday, so I thought I had dodged the pain bullet. But it caught up with me on Sunday, and was so bad I had to stay home from work on Monday. The pain has lessened since then, but I’m still in pain every damn day. I have an appointment with the pain management specialist for follow-up in six weeks.

Today is the last day of school. I can’t wait to walk out of that building, knowing I don’t have to go back until September 2nd. After we get out, I’m going to Albany with My Friend. She has a pre-surgical appointment, and asked me to go along for the ride. Her appointment is at 4:00, so we won’t be home until this evening.

Tomorrow morning, I’m scheduled for a massage followed by cut and color. (How convenient that my beauty salon offers both services.) Saturday evening, My Friend is taking me out to dinner because of all my help with the English 11 Anthology projects. On Sunday, we’re going to a graduation party for my nephew. Next week, I have at least two doctor appointments (maybe three). I can’t wait for a break in activity. I need some down time.

Song of the Day: M.I.A. by Avenged Sevenfold

Inka Dinka Doo

During a faculty meeting yesterday, I was using a pen to scratch the maddening itch I’ve been living with for several days now. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I happened to look down. Naturally, the pen wasn’t capped. My jeans are ruined (and they’re my favorite pair, of course).

Can I scream now?

Song of the Day: Inka Dinka Doo by Jimmy Durante

M R Ay Yi Yi

When I got home from work on Wednesday, I called to schedule an appointment for the MRI of the cervical spine. The secretary said they could do it that evening at 6:45. Getting it over with as soon possible seemed like a good idea to me, so I agreed to go in at that time.

I sat in the waiting room for half an hour. At one point, I couldn’t help but overhear a phone conversation in which the secretary told the person on the other end that they were running behind schedule. I went up to the desk to find out how much longer I would have to wait, and was told it would be at least another hour and a half.

I was in too much pain to sit there that long, so the secretary offered me an appointment for 7:00 the next morning. I told her that I had to be at work by 7:40, and she assured me that I would make it in time. I took the appointment.

I arrived at the Imaging Center at 6:55 a.m. No one was there. The technician finally arrived at 7:03. He apologized for being late, and ushered me inside. He said that he had to turn the machine on, and he’d be ready to take me to the MRI room in a few minutes. My stomach was in knots because I knew there was no way I’d be on time for work.

The scan commenced at 7:15 and ended at 7:35.  I was ten minutes late for work.  In my nineteen years of being employed by the school district, this was the first time I was tardy. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it did make me tense, and that’s not a good way to start the day.

I should have known better than to expect anything to go right. It rarely (if ever) does.

Song of the Day: Gone Wrong by Blue October

The Power of Observation

Every month, I submit a report to administration about computer lab usage. With last month’s report, I included a request that my observation be scheduled for this coming Thursday. That’s the day that My Friend’s English 11 classes start coming to the lab to work on their Personal Anthologies – a project that takes the place of a final exam.

I have been heavily involved with this project since its inception. (I even graded them from home last year when I was out on disability – out of boredom, and as a favor to My Friend.) A significant amount of time is spent preparing for the initial visit to the computer lab. I designed a packet on how to create a Works Cited page, and another one advising which online databases to use for each component of the Personal Anthology.

Requirements include a Table of Contents, a novel, two short stories, three poems, four articles (one magazine, one newspaper, one Internet and one Professional Journal), three visuals (one piece of artwork, one cartoon, one graph/chart), song lyrics, a movie and a Works Cited page. Each of the components has to relate to a theme of the student’s choosing.

This project has always been tough, but it is even more difficult now because most of the Internet has been blocked. Students only have access to the online databases and a handful of websites that have been deemed acceptable. Unfortunately, the available resources will not satisfy the requirements for the visuals, lyrics and movies. Students will have to search for those things from home if they have a computer, or go to the public library if they do not.

Anyway, the first computer lab lesson is the one I put my heart and soul into. I hand out the packets, and use an LCD projector to show the students how to search the databases, as well as how to identify the information that is necessary to build a Works Cited page. That is why I wanted to be observed on this particular day. No other Teaching Assistant in the building does anything even remotely similar to this.

Yesterday morning, the Assistant Principal in charge of Teaching Assistants informed me that “it’s not gonna happen.” He went on to explain that he has other observations scheduled for that day, and won’t be able to get to me for a few more weeks. My heart sank. In a few weeks, I won’t be doing anything that showcases my skills the way this lesson does.

It did make me feel good, though, when Mr. AP said that he liked that I showed initiative by contacting him in reference to scheduling my observation instead of waiting for him to get in touch with me. He said it was “proactive.” Still, that’s not going to do me a whole lot of good when it comes down to my actual observation. Sigh.

I’m considering preparing a list of the things I do that are not in my job description, such as copy editing the school newspaper every month. (That takes a long time, and I often work on it from home.) I also do a fair amount of proofreading for English teachers, especially letters of recommendation for students applying to colleges. This year, I’ve taken on an additional proofreading duty. Teachers are now sending students to me to look over their college essays. I don’t mind doing these things, but it would be nice to get some credit for them

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I have a busy morning ahead of me. At 10:00, I’m scheduled for a one hour massage, thanks to the gift certificate I got for Christmas. Then, at 11:30, I have an appointment to have my hair colored and cut. The massage therapist works out of the beauty salon, so I’ll be there for a while.

When I get home, I have to work on our taxes. I used two different online services and came up with two significantly different results. So, I have to painstakingly go over everything to try to find where I might have made an error in entering information.

I was also supposed to go for blood work this morning, but when I checked the hours I saw that the lab doesn’t open until 8:00. I’ve been up since 5, and can’t go that long without coffee. I’m hoping the lab will be open on Good Friday so I can do it then. (There’s no school that day.)

Have a good weekend.

Song of the Day: The Observation by Donovan

Bummer

Ours is the only school district in four counties that didn’t close today.  At present, the sleet is coming down hard enough to be quite audible inside the building.   

I would have really liked to have had the day off, especially considering that I was at work until 8:30 for Parent/Teacher conferences last night.

I am not a happy camper.

Song of the Day:  It’s Not Fair   by Kate Havnevik

And it Poured Sweet and Clear

I saw this end of the year meme over at Jeanette’s place, and decided to swipe it.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Hung out with soap stars.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t make New Year’s resolutions because I don’t have any desire to beat myself up over failing to stick to them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? In August, my niece gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Brody Mark.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, but I continue to mourn the loss of my brother, Mark, who died in October 2006.

5. What countries did you visit? The only countries I visited in 2007 were in books and magazines.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Money.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? December 1st because that’s when I hung out with the aforementioned soap stars.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Making friends with soap stars.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not winning the lottery.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I continue to struggle with pain related to a herniated disc in the lumbar spine and related sciatica. The injury occurred on December 13, 2006.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Monavie! Since I started drinking the juice, I’ve noticed a renewed vitality, and my mental clarity has improved, as well. I no longer wake up at night because of acute arthritic pain in my left knee, or the excruciating leg and foot cramps that plagued me for so long.  It is also very exciting for me to have found something that relieves my Fibromyalgia symptoms after suffering for so many years. Yippee!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My daughters. Leigh has really stepped up, and her performance in college this year has been admirable. She is currently looking into transferring to another school for veterinary science. Rebecca has also excelled scholastically, and will be studying abroad in Australia next semester.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? George W. Bush.

14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage payments and college tuition.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Hanging out with soap stars! (Are you seeing a pattern here?)

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Landslide by Stevie Nicks:

Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Mmm mmm I don’t know

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, give or take a few pounds.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. I lost a fair amount of income due to being out on a work-related injury.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading. I blame my obsession with knitting for that.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Cleaning up Penny’s messes. She refuses to be house trained.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Like this.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Does my crush on Hugh Laurie count?

22. What was your favorite TV program? It’s a tie between General Hospital and House, the only shows I watch regularly.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, but I’m still mad at Brad Pitt.

24. What was the best book you read? See #18. I have  read some  books, but can’t think of any worth mentioning… Oh, wait! I know! Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

26. What did you want and get? A gift certificate for 3 one-hour massages!

27. What did you want and not get? Money.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I haven’t seen many movies – in fact, the only one I can remember seeing at the theater is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I didn’t do anything except turn 53 years old.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? MONEY! (Another pattern?)

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Viking helmets are in.

32. What kept you sane? Getting to be insane at work.


33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? See # 21.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

35. Who did you miss? My brother, Mark.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I’ll bet you thought I was going to say soap star Bradford Anderson, didn’t you? While I am  delighted to have met him, the best new person I met in 2007 was LA. I’m also very glad to have been able to meet Mary and Joe, and my Bradford buddy, Allison. It was a very  good year for making friends.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. I learned that it is very important to make sure there is more life in my life.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

But now the days grow short,
I’m in the autumn of the year
And now I think of my life
as vintage wine from fine old kegs
From the brim to the dregs,
and it poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year.

I wish all of you many blessings that pour sweet and clear in the New Year, and always.

Happy 2008!

Song of the Day: It Was a Very Good Year  by Frank Sinatra

What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does

The title of this entry is a quote from Rubeus Hagrid, the gentle giant from the Harry Potter books. As you will see, I owe Hagrid a debt of gratitude.

A few entries ago, I wrote about my school’s Twenty-Five Books campaign. I mentioned that, on Thursday, we were supposed to wear something that represents punctuation.

Here’s what I came up with.

Friday was “Dress Like a Literary Character” day. I dressed up as the aforementioned Rubeus Hagrid. My costume consisted of pants tucked into boots, a fleecy shirt (large enough to stuff with a pillow), a vest, and a belt (long enough to buckle over the pillow-enhanced shirt). I hung pouches from the belt, and stuck a unicorn ornament into one of them to represent Hagrid’s professorship at Hogwarts, where he teaches the class, Care of Magical Creatures.

I also wore a full-length fur coat (by the end of the day, it felt like that thing weighed fifty pounds!), and carried Rebecca’s Ron Weasley doll. A wild wig and a beard completed my costume.

Walking into work dressed like that was an exercise in courage.

I wish I had photos of the expressions on people’s faces when they saw me. No one knew who I was until they heard my voice. During homeroom, a boy was visibly startled when I greeted him by name. When he finally recognized me, he burst out laughing and said he thought I was “just some crazy Substitute Teacher.” Well, he got the crazy part right…

Some of the reactions were unexpected. I got hugs from students and staff, alike. The young man who told me I was “officially official” when I dressed up as Flavor Flav on Halloween, threw his arms around me and said, “Miss, you are awesome.”

Some people (especially students) recognized me as Hagrid, while others did not. One co-worker thought I was Rasputin. Another guessed Chewbacca. Ha ha!

By now, you must be wondering what I looked like, so I’ll put an end to the suspense.

Here’s a photo of Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid.

And this is me as Hagrid.

Here’s a shot of me with the librarian, who was dressed as Tom Sawyer.

Man, was my outfit uncomfortable. I felt the weight of the fur coat in my neck and back. And it was hot. My hair was plastered to my head under the scratchy wig. Furthermore, I was constantly plucking mustache and beard hair out of my mouth. I could hardly wait for the dismissal bell.

The last two periods of the day were devoted to a pep rally in the gym. Those of us in costume had to participate in a parade. Judges voted for the student and staff member with the most creative costume. The prize for each winner was a $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

Guess which staff member won the contest? Yep. Yours truly. The winning student was dressed as Hermione Granger. How perfect is that? Putting the two of us together made for some good photo opportunities. Bulbs were flashing all over the place.

Walking to the center of the gym to receive my prize with the sound of cheers ringing in my ears made all the embarrassment, sweat and discomfort worth it. The $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble helped, too.

Song of the Day: Follow the Spiders  by Harry and the Potters

Read to Succeed

Today kicks off the “Twenty Five Books” campaign at the school where I work. Everyone will be asked to read twenty five books between now and June. Lists will be posted in homerooms for us to keep track of every book we, and if applicable, our students read over the next six months.

Each day, students and staff are supposed to wear something related to reading. Today, it’s sweat pants and sweatshirts. Dressing comfortably is supposed to indicate that reading is a leisurely activity, not just something you have to do in school.

I won’t be participating today because I’m playing hooky and going to New York City with Rebecca. I really enjoy going to the city during the holidays, or any other time, actually. (LeAnn, you are mistaken in thinking that I don’t like to go into the city. I love it. But, because of my health, not to mention the expense, I’m not able to go as often as I’d like. These trips take a lot out of me, physically and financially. Fortunately, I’ve feeling pretty peppy lately, and am ready to do lots of walking!)

Our plans are to see the Kaleidoscope Light Show at Grand Central Station, the tree at Rockefeller Center, the windows at Saks, (you might have to click the start button on that video clip) and a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. (Rebecca has never been there!) Other than that, we are just going to go where our feet lead us. I’m very much looking forward to this trip.

Back to the reading campaign. Tomorrow is “Wear Your Favorite Literary Quote” Day. I don’t have a favorite quote, but there is one that sticks in my mind, so that’s the one I am going to use. It’s the first sentence of Back When We Were Grownups, by Ann Tyler: “Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered that she had turned into the wrong person.”

That quote really resonates with me. In fact, I once wrote an entry around it, but that was back in the Diary-X days, so I can’t link to it. However, I did recycle some of into this entry at DiaryLand.

On Thursday, we are supposed to wear something that represents punctuation. I’d like to be a question mark, but don’t have any idea how to go about doing that, so I probably won’t participate that day.

On Friday, the week’s activities will culminate in a pep rally. We are supposed to dress up as one of our favorite literary characters. At first, I was going to be Moby Dick, but I couldn’t come up with a decent costume.

After considering many other possibilities, I finally decided to be Rubeus Hagrid from the Harry Potter series. I couldn’t afford this mask, so I got this wig and beard, instead.

I have to go get ready for my day in New York City, but before I leave, I want to leave you with this link to a cute article Bradford Anderson sent me. I took special note of the reporter declaring, “I was looking better, my skin began to glow…” (Remember my co-worker’s comment about me “glowing?” Maybe it’s true!)

Song of the Day: Everyday I Write the Book by Elvis Costello

Accentuate the Positive

There is hope for all of us. Well, anyway, if you don’t die you live through it, day in, day out. ~Mary Beckett

This morning, I had to live through another appointment with the Independent Medical Examiner. When I got to the office, I ran into a co-worker, who was also there for an Independent Medical Exam. She was in and out before I finished filling out the forms! Honestly, she was in with the doctor for less than five minutes.

I, on the other hand, was with him for a good half hour. During that time, he told me about his Thanksgiving (he went to Plymouth to participate in the National Day of Mourning.) He also talked about fishing (among other things), and showed me photos of his grandchildren. I kid you not.

When I was able to get a word in, I reminded him that he had assured me that he would recommend a bone scan in his last report, but had neglected to do so. He said he would have to look into it, but I doubt that he will. He didn’t take notes, so I can’t imagine that he’ll remember much of anything.

This afternoon, I had to live through a disturbing phone call from Rebecca. Her primary care physician sent her to a hematologist because recent blood work revealed a low platelet count. The hematologist took more blood, and said if the results are the same, it will be necessary for Rebecca to have bone marrow drawn.

Now I get to go back to work and live through Parent/Teacher Conferences from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Then I get to live through it again on Thursday.

I keep repeating to myself:

All shall be well,
And all shall be well,
And all manner of things shall be well.
~Dame Julian of Norwich, a thirteenth century mystic

Song of the Day: Accentuate the Positive by Johnny Mercer

Public Enemy Number One

Halloween was a hoot and a half. My costume was a huge hit with the students (and staff). After my first period assignment in the gym (where I supervise students who don’t have a class, or come to school late, or are waiting for the BOCES bus), I walked into the computer lab and totally disrupted the class that had arrived before me.

The kids were howling. Everyone wanted to try on my Viking helmet and clock on a chain. I did, however, stop short of letting them anywhere near my Public Enemy t-shirt or my gold grill.

Because their friends had spread the word, students were constantly poking their heads into my room. One girl said that she heard about me as soon as she got to school. Another told me that I am the last person she would have expected to see dressed as Flavor Flav. When I asked why, she answered that I usually dress nicely, and look so proper. I pointed out to her that you never know who the crazy ones are.

My favorite comment was made by a student who broke into a giant smile when he saw me and announced, “You are officially official!” (Whatever that means.) A young, new teacher declared that I had the best costume, hands down. He couldn’t stop staring at me. You would have gawked, too. I was quite a sight. See for yourself.

My inspiration:

photo courtesy of i.a.cnn.net.

All day long, I heard “FLAVAAA FLAAAAAVVV! YEAAAAH BOOOOOYYYYEEE!” (You, too, can hear it by clicking the link.)

I lost track of how many times I had to pose for students with their camera phones. And, later in the evening, a parent accompanying trick-or-treaters took my picture, as well. Now I know how stars feel about the paparazzi. (Okay, I exaggerate.)

Speaking of trick-or-treaters, at one point, I had a large group at my door, so I went out on the porch to distribute the candy. I glanced to the left of the crowd and saw something straight out of Deliverance. It was my sister, Michele, taking advantage of an opportunity for additional shock value over her unexpected arrival by mingling with a bunch of trick-or-treaters.

Here we are together, the dentally challenged gangsta rapper and redneck.

A co-worker also stopped by my house so I could see her children in their costumes. Her son loved my outfit, and said he wants to wear it next year. I let him try it on for size. Too cute!

In closing, I want to share something a student wrote on the board in the computer lab. I don’t know who did it because I was out of the room at the time. What I do know is that it made my day.

Song of the Day: This is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas