Coffee Flavored Kisses

During the summer, I joined the Adult Reading Program at my public library. I joined primarily because we were talking books, which I love to do, and because I was hoping to meet some new people. I have have done both.

One of the people I have met is this lovely elderly lady (I believe she’s 86) named Helen. Mrs. Helen is quite simply a doll. I don’t know much about her background, but I bet it involved some struggle, but what makes her so delightful is her attitude. She has determined she will see the best in people, and look at things as an adventure, not see the fears and the gloom. I want to follow that example.

Now, Mrs. Helen is probably worlds apart from me in preferred reading material and from others, but she has never failed to show anything but interest and curiosity about the books our varied members have brought up. When we turned ourselves into a book club, she was the first one of us to have finished the book. Not only does she have a wonderful attitude, she’s quite sharp.

I think I want to Mrs. Helen when I grow up! I also want to get to know her story, but I’m not rude enough to ask

In other news, Nor’s tumor is back, and he goes to the vet. He apparently has the worst sort of cancer a cat can have. There is only one result; everything else is to prolong life. However, I know part of my heart will break when I must let go of my first cat baby.

School has started, and things go along as usual, but perhaps if I apply Mrs. Helen’s attitude, I will feel better and thus, cope better. We shall see.

I do know this, the whim of joining that book group is paying off quite nicely.

I can’t stop crying. And unlike the Roy Orbison song, I’m not crying over you, or you, or well over anything going on in my life. However, at the slightest bit of sadness or someone’s pain or, well, anything emotional–I start to freaking cry.

Show me that freaking Dawn commercial where they are washing oil off the animals, and I start to bawl.  Show me a news story about someone working to overcome a physical issue, and waaaah tears. Lord, don’t tell me a celebrity died because then it’s tearville.

Now, I have always been sentimental.  I remember when AT&T long ago came out with that series of commercials about kids calling long distance home, and the parents would get all mushy.  Yeah, I’d tear up a little at that, but now, I’d probably be flat out bawling.  I don’t get it.

I think it’s hormonal.  It’s been worse within the last week, which was uh THAT week, but really it happens much more frequently than it used to. I know I am getting into the mid-late 40s and all that jazz, but please, tears could you just stay the heck away, or at least show up when it’s reasonable!

I have not taken a summer off from school since the summer Mike and I got together, which is 8 years now.  So this summer I decided I needed a break. I was feeling tired and burned out, and a bit abused.  I needed to recharge.

On top of that, I discovered that my diabetes was way out of whack as were my lipid numbers.  There were biological reasons for my burn out as well as mental ones. So summer off seemed a grand idea.

I’ve been off for two weeks, and I am starting to feel a bit at loose ends.  It’s not as if I don’t have stuff to do.  I need to reorganize my kitchen, and sort out the office.  I need to be looking for a shed or two for the backyard. Of course, none of that really appeals.

I do have things to go to.  I have a diabetes cooking class tomorrow, and Friday I have a brown bag lunch at the library for a book discussion.  Next Friday, I have to present the book discussion.  So I do have things to do, but I just feel so blah today.  I know it’s a today only thing, but still lethargy is strong.

I am sure I will eventually accomplish something today, but I sure don’t feel like doing anything, and you know that’s okay.

And I shall try to start blogging again.

So another year ends, and another one begins. some things that I would like to achieve in 2010:

more writing. I need to write more; I miss writing of all sorts. I may even have the time for it this year!

improve my teaching. I always need to keep working on this. The day I think I’ve perfected it is the day I better quit.

cook more. I love to cook. If I do nothing more than make soups all year, I will have done something healthier than usual

exercise more. I love my treadmill and should use it more.

read more. Then again, I read a lot now

have more fun. Wait, if I cook more, write more, and read more–won’t I be having more fun?

contribute more to my community.

I think mostly it boils down to the PBS motto: Be more!

It’s midterm and I have been exhausted since quarter-term.  I have about 140 students in all my classes, and none have dropped.  I have spent three weeks trying to wade through the weird maze of getting the college to pay to send me to NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).  I think I have almost finished that.  I’ve also spent three weeks trying to convince higher ups that I am not in fact SuperTeacher, and that I cannot work 14 hour days and not be tired, and that teaching eight sections is ridiculous–and hire another English teacher.

In other words, same old same old.

It was a decent week.  There’s a review

Actually, it was a decent week.  Students were all good; everything went well at work. Friday, we had a short in-service (we never have short in-services.) All good.

We’re doing a campus wide common reader..called Them by Nathan McCall, and he was our speaker Friday.  Now, the problem I have is I don’t think Them is a very good novel.  I find the characters stereotypical, and I find the novel itself a bit misogynistic.  I also think it’s a bit heavy-handed, but it’s a first novel so that is too be somewhat expected.  This means, however, I went into in-service less than thrilled.  Mr. McCall surpised–he is a very good speaker.  He kept us interested and stayed on topic.  He made me want to read his memoir Makes Me Want to Holler; alas, he did not make me want to read Them.  It will languish on my bookshelf unread.

Then again, it was a bit hard to hear Mr. McCall since my freaking left ear is stuffed up.  Since I had chronic ear infections a few years back, I am worried about what’s going on with it.  So worried in fact that I have a doctor’s appointment to see what’s going on.  Hopefully, it’s just a massive wax clog, but I am doing nothing until I know what it is.  I’ll work from there.  I’ll probably leave tomorrow with a new cholesterol medicine prescription too. Oh joy.

I have a story rattling around in my clogged head, but it’s not ready to come out yet.  I hope it’s ready soon!

wasn’t a New Year’s Resolution!

Okay, yes, I have been a bad blogger. Mostly, I’ve been too busy or too tired to blog.

However, the new semester is just beginning, and I really do need to blog before things pick up again.

So, first off, I am fine, but apparently my cholesterol levels are rising.  This depresses me because my favorite food of cheese is probably the culprit.  I am cutting down on cheese, and I guess I will try to replace it with hummus.  Hummus at least has fiber and monounsaturated fats, and it’s darned tasty.  And it is easy to make, but I would love to find some tahini for when I make it.

Secondly, the family and the kitties are all well.  SIL is enrolled in 11 hours this semester, but she wants to drop her math class (after having only met it once!) She has a bowling class and a walking/jogging class.  Apparently, she wants to get fit! Husband is enrolled in a computer animation class.  I need to get his silly transcripts so he can find out what gen ed stuff he needs to do.

Thirdly, school started, and we have started on a 4 day a week instructional week.  This has made for some odd schedules.  I cannot complain about my schedule as compared to some.  I only have six classes this semester, and all are on the campus I live closest to.  I only teach from 9:30 - 12:30 (straight through) four days a week, and then two days a week I add a class from 4 - 6:30.  I can’t complain.  I have about 100 students this semester.  Many of them students I already know, so it will be a good semester.  Tech writing made this semester which makes me happy. I am planning on trying something new in there, so you will hear updates because if it works wells, then I think I will write try to write an article about it.  I need to finish my book reviews for 18th Century Women, and I am hoping having Fridays free will allow me to do that.

I also still have domestic goddess stuff to do–which makes for a busy life.

Oh yeah, I do have one fun high note–I went bowling with Mike, SIL, and his coworkers a couple of Fridays ago.  I beat them all with a 127 (they are not the best bowlers, but they are fun!).  However, that is my highest score ever, so woohoo to me.

There is no excuse really my not having blogged in nearly a month, except for exhaustion.  I am not sure why this semester has hit me so hard, but it has. Perhaps it’s the 50 or so comp students, perhaps it’s Circle K, perhaps it’s hearing complaints against  one of my colleagues, perhaps I’m getting old, but for some reason this semester has me worn out.

I hope Spring will be better, but who knows? We’re going to a 4 day instructional week. So my schedule will look like this:

MW 9:30 - 10:50 English 2; 11 - 12:20 English 1 W- 4 - 6:20 World Lit 2

TTH 9:30 - 10:50 English 1; 11 - 12:20 English 2 Th 4 - 6:20 Tech Writing

Friday–meetings and/or office hours.

It’s actually a pretty peachy schedule.  Apparently, it’s the best schedule anyone I know has.  We’ve already started registering for the Spring semester, and I already have ten students enrolled in my classes.

Personally, I have lost about 40 pounds since we moved to Arkansas.  I wish I could say how, but it’s probably my diabetes–maybe though it will help bring my body back into some sort of balance.  I need to get back to using my treadmill. Alas, it has been untouched since school started, and I think I could have used the stress relief.

Politically, well the guy I voted for won, and I wish him all the best luck possible.  I wouldn’t want his job for anything in the world.

Other than that, I’m just doing the same old same old. C’est la vie.

The temperatures tell me it is as does the calendar.  However, I usually feel way more rejuvenated–too many classes in the school year.  I am looking forward to July when I am off for the whole month.

I am still treadmilling.  I do at least 30 minutes a day–6 days out of 7.  I am now watching BlackAdder as I treadmill.  At least I have something to laugh about.

I am reading a book by Martin Millar called Lonely Werewolf Girl. I find that I am really liking this book–it’s amusing, full of interesting characters, and well good.  If you want to get off the pretentious literary novel genre wheel try Millar.  I had read Good Fairies of New York and enjoyed it, but LWG is much better–it’s focused more.  Good Fairies was a hoot, but I really wanted Millar to stay with the fairies and dump the BORING humans!

I have a huge to read list which includes: The Book of Lost Things, You Suck, Under Orders, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, The Spiritualist, Sin and the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America’s Soul, Sad Cypress, The Planets, and so forth.  It’s a large list, so I should get to reading instead of blogging.