blogging...

I'm back. I never really went away. I just was too tired to blog. There were nights that I didn't even turn on the computer!

Since I was last here, several major events have happened. Well, they were big events, not life-altering events. But still, they took up my time!

Friday--drove about an hour to visit a friend and her daughter (HI N and Mushroom!!!). Had dinner with another friend and picked up my repaired necklace. Finally! (See, I bought it in Las Vegas on July 8. It broke when I was in MO on August 8. I dropped it off in Houston to be fixed on September 7. Picked it up on November 7. I'm seeing a pattern here!) Got home after midnight after being up before 6 am that morning.

Saturday--up by 7:30, out of the house by 8:30, at school by 9:20. Picked up cheerleaders and traveled to Houston to perform in a half-time event at a university there. It was a great time--except when I went psycho mom on them. (They were to meet us after they were finished. None of the 13 of them heard that and left. There were thousands of drunk college kids and the school isn't in the greatest of neighborhoods. They think they are invincible.) Didn't get home until almost 1 am.

Sunday--missed the alarm because the volume had been turned down sometime on Saturday on my phone. Not a big deal. Went to school for about 2 hours and then to a wedding. It was like a reunion of sorts. One of my former cheerleaders was the bride, and the groom went to our school as well. I knew all sorts of people who attended. They were either former students or parents of former students. WOW! The bride (her mom teaches with me) was beautiful as was the entire event. Not bad for being planned in less than 3 months--with virtually no help from the bride or groom as they were both off at Marine boot camp. (He in California, and she in South Carolina...I think.) The only communication my friend had with her daughter was through snail mail. That's right. No email. No phone. No nothing!

Monday--Cheer practice in the am! Up at 4:15 and out the door before 5:30. After school, I stayed late to finish getting ready for my observation. Every year, teachers have to be formally observed to make sure they are doing what they need to be. I actually did this lesson 3 or 4 years ago. My appraiser had never seen it, so why re-invent the wheel? I still spent a lot of hours getting ready for this.

Tuesday--My observation. YEAH, IT'S OVER!!!! I don't know how I did yet....on pins and needles. That is another post. Last football game. YEAH, IT'S OVER!!!! I like the girls. I like football. I hate dealing with cheerleader parents who don't listen. Don't get me wrong, I don't really have the typical Cheerleader parents. I just have those few who think the rules shouldn't be what they are. Sorry. You knew when you paid your deposit what the rules were. Get over it!!!!!! (left at 5:45, home after 9:00)

Wednesday--Benchmark testing. (left before 6:25 home by 7:15. WHAT?!?!?!? 7:15! How did that happen?????) What a boring day. We give the benchmarks twice a year and all I can do for the entire class period (85 minutes) is stare them down. I can't read. I can't email. I can't do ANYTHING but stare at them. It is very difficult to not fall asleep. I start to go crazy. When we do Snapshot and TAKS testing, it is the same way. Except, it lasts THE ENTIRE DAY!!!!!!! I know why this is, and I know it is important, but MY SANITY becomes questioned at the end of the day.

And now, I'm going to end this post. YEAH, IT'S OVER!!!!!!