The cure for the smell

So our garbage can has been stinky for a while. It's not because we always have stinky stuff being thrown in there. I was starting to believe that the smell was premeating into the plastic and taking up residence. I can picture these green and brown balls of beings with eyes and hands doing the Roger Rabbit dance on the sides of our can.

We've cleaned it out and bleached it. And everytime I reline the can I spray the inside of the can and the lid with Lysol as well as the inside of the garbage bag. None of that seems to help. Sometimes I get the funk with a mix of Lysol. Blech! So I decided I just need to get one of those stainless steel trash cans. My theory was if it's stainless steel than the stink will slide right off. So we went to Macy's, they didn't sell trash cans. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and found the stainless steel cans. Surprise, surprise, the outside looks metallic but the inside is plastic! Argh! We're checking out the different styles, sizes, and prices. Oh good golly miss molly was it pricey for a trash can! Ray convinced me to give our old can another chance. He had read somewhere to put a dryer sheet at the bottom so we tried it out and.......................................................................




3 days later and it still smells goooood! Yay for Ray!

A reason why I teach

A friend whom I also worked with a couple years ago called me a couple nights ago. She is also no longer teaching at the same school but still keeps in touch with the other teachers. One of the teachers called my friend and told her that she had some of my former 3rd graders, who are now 5th graders. One day they had a writing assignment. They were to write about a happy/favorite memory. Did they write about their Disneyland trip? NO. Did they write about getting a PSP console or the latest video game? NO. They wrote about their time with me in 3rd grade!!!!!!! *tear*

More classic than the shoe shopping story

Teacher: Hey student, where were you yesterday?

Student: My dad didn't want to wake up.

Teacher: *disbelief* Uh, your dad didn't want to wake up?

Student: Yeah, my dad didn't want to wake up.

Teacher: Well, you need to say to your dad, "Dad, I have to go to school!"


UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Wedding mania

Saturday, Oct. 13th: Bugs, sinking heels, and a beautiful bride

Went to Ray's friend's wedding in Saratoga. It was an outdoor wedding overlooking the valley. The setup was very pretty if it wasn't for my heels constantly sinking into the dirt and bugs flying all over my face. The wedding was beautiful though. We had a nice buffet dinner (the prime rib rocked!) and were seated with some of Ray's friends.

Sunday, Oct. 14th: Late start and Trangquest on duty

Went to Ray's cousin's wedding in Milpitas. It was on a golf course which made for a very pretty setting. We had a little lake in front of us with rolling hills. Unfortunately the bride was an hour late so the ceremony didn't begin until 1 hour and 15 min. after the announced time. No one's really sure what happened. The ceremony went well. Another buffet dinner. Dancing was fun. I ended up having to navigate Ray's cousin who was super-late and super lost!

A little too late

April 10, 2007
I emailed this loan program that helps pay my student loans if I work in low-income areas. I emailed them a question regarding a payment I should've received for credit my first year teaching.

October 16, 2007
I received their response. I gave up on a response, sucked it up, and paid off my loan three months ago!

The places I've visited

So many more to visit.....Spain 2008 here I come!




create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Why do people do that?

My doctor and I were having a conversation about work, family, etc. She gives me a smile and says "Don't get offended but it must be pretty nice to get off work at 3 every day."


To my knowledge, teaching seems to be the only profession that people feel they have the right to downplay and degrade. One minute they'll say education is so important and without education you will not succeed in life. And the next minute they turn around and talk about how teachers have it SO easy with all that vacation time and early days.

Yes, we do get holidays and summers off. But you may have so quickly forgotten that most teachers barely get paid enough to even own a decent home on their own. If we don't want to live paycheck to paycheck we are sometimes forced to get summer jobs to help compensate. Do you have to always look for another job come June?

Yes, we are contractually finished with our workday around 3:00 (depending on school and district, of course.) Unfortunately most teachers only have an hour a day of paid time to prep for class. Some districts don't even provide a prep hour for teachers! That means that most teachers have to come earlier and stay later than what they would be paid for. Some come in on the weekends. Some just take work home.


So, if that all still sounds SO easy and you are now contemplating quitting your difficult and intensive career you can always downgrade and try teaching.

Don't forget that you will have parents in denial who think you're the problem and not their child, students that think it's ok to throw chairs at you or choke classmates, and the expectation that you are to remain happy and upbeat for 6 hours straight.

Don't forget that you may have to spend your money on supplies once the supplies the school gave you runs out in two months and crackers for the kids who are too poor to afford a lunch or snack.

You will become adept at asking friends to gather supplies for you from their workplace.

You will no longer have shame once you start asking every single place you go if they offer teacher discounts or if they can donate supplies for a classroom project.

And lastly,

You will become accustomed to the lack of respect people give you when they hear you're a teacher. Because, as impressed as they may look when you first say you're a teacher, ten minutes later they'll be making the same comment as my doctor.