-I don't understand why my checkbook balance never matches my online balance. I think the difference goes wherever the lost socks go in the dryer.

-Piper is sneezing every five minutes! I don't think it's her cat herpes, either. She doesn't have a runny nose or droopy eyes like she does when she has an outbreak. Maybe it's just allergies, but I'm going to take her to the vet soon just to make sure. Here is a recent picture of her playing on the internetz:



-I had a wonderful weekend! I feel like I accomplished a lot in a short time. I have also lost four pounds. Woo hoo - Heidi Klum, look out!

-Because I love you, I will leave you with this:





For some reason, I have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown all week long. Things that wouldn't normally get to me are getting to me in a huge way. Let me tell you about my morning so far...

Today is COMMA DAY! (insert excited squeal) in Mrs. Duncan's class. Teaching commas is a little tricky, because the kids feel like it is a juvenile topic and they've seen the rules a hundred times before. Because of that, they act like they're too good to participate in the lesson (most of the time). In reality, even if they HAVE heard it a hundred times, they still misuse them frequently.

So, for comma day, I had a few fun little activities planned out for them after we finished discussing the rules of commas.

Well, commas got put on hold in a major way when a colleague of mine (and co-sponsor of the Interact Club) called me mid-class. She revealed that she had NOT done any of the fifty bazillion things she said she was going to do regarding the upcoming scholarship banquet and end of the year loose ends. I literally wrote down a page-long list of "to dos" while I was on the phone with her.

Then, as soon as I got off the phone (very frustrated), another teacher walked in. She is the case manager (CM) for one of my students with special needs (we'll call her Maggie - not her real name). Maggie has not been in class for about a week now. CM tells me today that Maggie is not feeling better and is actually feeling worse. CM thinks she has something similar to thrush, and Maggie is getting very worried about her health. About that time, Maggie walks in. She looks terrible. She asks me if I will gather her make up work for the past week and the next few days, which I do.


Come to find out, she doesn't have health insurance. She keeps going to doctors and hearing the same thing. I am not sure what they told her/gave her, but it is not working, and she is getting worse. She and her family are shelling out TONS of money (they they do not have) for these doctor visits, and she still can't get an accurate diagnosis. She could be the poster child in the case for universal healthcare.


Anyways, by the time Maggie and CM leave, I am all aflutter. Then, I get a phone call from another case manager. She would like to know if I will come sit in as the general education teacher on an IEP meeting. Guess when it is? During my lunchtime. Great! Sure, I would love to find out last minute that I have to sit in on an IEP meeting and miss my lunch! Grr.

Finally, I get off the phone. I look over at my students (for the first time in a while), and realize that they are all sitting patiently, quietly talking to their neighbors. They were being SO well-behaved that I was overwhelmed and thankful for them. One little girl looked up and me and said, "Mrs. Duncan, I think you need a day off." I think she's right.




I found this neat little boredom cure from this blog!

DIRECTIONS:
- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture
- Save the image for use in this note.
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- Tag the people whose mosaics you want to see.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name? Kelly

2. What is your favorite food? chips and salsa

3. What is your hometown? Arab, AL

4. What is your favorite color? Green

5. What is your favorite movie? right now...The Sandlot. Don't make fun! Wendy Peffercorn is hot, and you know you've said "you're killing me Smalls" before.

6. What is your favorite drink? Diet Cherry Limeaid from Sonic

7. What is your dream vacation spot? Venice, Italy

8. What is your favorite dessert? Minnie's red velvet cake

9. What is one word to describe yourself? fidgety

10. How are you feeling right now? hyper

11. What do you love most in the world? B Duncan

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? a cute stuff store owner

And... here is my mosaic!



I will tag...

1. Hayley
2. Jess
3. Lindsey
4. Kristen
5. Julie







Happy Tuesday! I am strangely happy to be back at work after the break. I didn't think I would miss the kids while I was gone (and, honestly, I didn't), but it has been really nice seeing them again and getting caught up in all their lives.

The next couple of weeks are going to be heavily grammar-filled, because we still haven't covered some of the standards for the ninth graders. The students hate grammar, but I love teaching it. Grammar topics are cut and dry for the most part, and I feel like I do a good job teaching them. I guess we'll see how this goes.

I had a free wellness checkup at work yesterday that was provided by our insurance. They checked all my blood levels (glucose and cholesterol), checked my blood pressure and pulse, and then made me stick my foot in this thing that looked like a foot massager but did not massage. The results were pretty good, except that I have high cholesterol (supposed to be under 200 and mine is 228) and low bone density. I am supposed to stop eating anything relatively good and start exercising every free minute I have.

In other news, Julie @ wearingmascara.com is having an incredible giveaway in honor of her 300th blog post and her new switch to Wordpress.

Here is the loot:



- Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

- Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light

- Quench Moisture Rich Lip Gloss

- O-Glow

- Illuminating Serum

- Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst

- Eyeshadow Quad in Bright Eyed

CLICK HERE to find out how to enter, but I hope I win :)



The following is a summary of a recent conversation with a good listener:

PART ONE - ENVIRONMENTAL GUILT

Lately, I have been feeling majorly guilty about things that I do that will hurt the environment. I guess it is healthy to have an environmentally conscious mind to some extent, but, like most other things in my life, I cannot do this in moderation. I get overwhelmed when I start my car and consider what is coming out of the exhaust pipe. I get upset when I order a drink and it is given to me in a styrofoam cup. I have anxiety when I see how much garbage just my husband and I produce in a few days.

Environmental issues are all over the news and interwebz right now, and some of the projections being made about the planet (polar ice caps!) SCARE ME. The years they are projecting all this shit to go down are not that far away. They are in our near futures and definitely within the lifetimes of our children.

PART TWO - HYPOCRISY

As long as I've been an adult, I have been in favor of low (or no) government regulation of social issues, such as gay marriage or abortion or playing dominoes on Sunday (still against the law in Alabama). I guess I just don't see the point of regulating another person's actions when it does not harm you or anyone else.

However, it seems to me that the government is going to have to mandate that people do environmentally friendly things. People by nature are just not going to do anything proactively unless they see a need for it NOW or unless they will benefit from it NOW.

Why do I feel like we all know we're contributing to the breakdown of the planet that keeps us alive, yet we turn a blind eye? Asking for governmental control may not be the best idea, because you can't ever guarantee that the decisions they make for us will be made with good intentions and not made with selfish motives. But, what are we going to do? Are we just going to sit by and pretend this is not happening? Are we really going to wait until it's too late to do something about this?

PART THREE - IDEAS

1. Couldn't we completely do away with plastic bags in grocery stores? It has been within my lifetime that these were even available for the public to use. When I was young, you could ONLY use paper.

2. Maybe we could pick a common location (like a gas station) to be the designated spot for a recycling center. I know we already have recycling centers, but if they were stationed in a place where people normally go daily, it might be easier to work into our daily routines. If business owners were willing, we could even offer an incentive, such as a discount on canned items if you bring in so many aluminum cans, etc.

3., 4., 5., 6.....

What are your ideas?



I learn all my new dance moves from youtube videos.





"...this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood..."

-Regina Spektor




Two more days until spring break! I can make it...




I just went to sign in to gmail, and THIS was on the login page:

Gmail AutopilotTM by CADIE
Email will never be a thing of the past, but actually reading and writing messages is about to be. Gmail Autopilot automatically manages your inbox better than you can, with zero effort from you.




Keep in touch

Brand-new CADIE technology enables Autopilot to scan every one of your incoming messages and automatically send the perfect reply.

Manage relationships
Impress everyone with your prompt and insightful responses to everything from urgent notes from your boss to cute messages from your significant other.

Match your style

Autopilot calibrates for tone, typos and preferred punctuation. It's just like you, but automated.



I am freaked out!






I'm pretty sure this could save my marriage one day.

Anyone think I should order in bulk and give them out as presents?

As you all probably know, today is April Fools Day. I started all my classes out today with my own little teacher prank. To start the class, I told them they would need five sheets of paper each. As they reluctantly got out their paper, I proceeded to write the following essay outline on the board:

"-Topic - your choice (must be about a text we've read in class)
-length - 5 pages (front and back)
-must include - at least five quotations from the text, topic sentences and transitions

All essays must be thoughtful and error-free. You have the entire class period to finish. Turn in your completed work before you leave class today."

I went over the information with them, and told them that anyone seen talking would receive a zero for suspected cheating. Then, I said, "ok, let's get started" and walked back to my desk to sit down.

My first block class looked as if they were going to start crying (poor babies, it wasn't even eight o'clock yet). My third block class was more defiant, slamming down pencils and copping attitudes (classic senior response). My fourth block class just sat there and looked around at each other, waiting for someone else to start first.

MUAHAHA they totally took the bait.