Forgetful Memories

Umm Forgot dress on the list. I hope this isn't an omen. I also forgot the letter d and a the

Wedding Plans part 4 Memorial Day

26 Days to Go

• Memories are everywhere this weekend! Too bad about Otterbutt's house in the city of salt. More salty I'd say. I used spend this day in the Southern Valley playing volleyball and getting too much sun w/ econtrario. But now I spent it indoors, in town, with the internet.
  
  Of course, everyone I know is out of town, even people that live out of town are out of town, Otterbut and Egg are in Chicago, Thirty-one is camping at Strawberry, TNT are "down the shore", Volleyball coach is in Pennsylvania.
  
  Thank God for the Internet. I have spent the entire day weddinginging. We've secured flowers, officiants, wedding vows, seating charts, and the honeymoon planned. Also I made a website. Don't know how I'm going to finish the new list. I made it through last time when I made the long list before family and school. However, the family and the school may think I could have done better, thus the B's, I had a good time and got it down...
  
• Lawyer to proove I got divorced in Canada to get marriage license.
  (Phone call logs to prove that I don't talk to ex EVERY day ha ha)
• Final Fitting
• DJ
• Confirm dog sitter
• Nails: Feet and Hands
• Hair
• Reception CDs
• Gift Bags
• Pack
• Get Cars ready for trip
• Oh yeah finish the school year AND
• Fold 739 Origami Cranes
• OH YEAH THE DRESS

Honeymoon Plans are WAY more fun and less stressful than wedding plans.

• We're going from Niagara on the Lake to
• Saratoga Springs, NY Mansion Inn
• Ben and Jerry's South Berlington Vermont
• Sterling Ridge Resort Log Cabins Vermont
• Jordan Grand Summit, Adirondacks
• Bar Harbor Grand Hotel Maine
• La Quinta Providence Rhode Island
• Home!

Wedding plans part 3 aka finals

What fun! The announcements are out, response cards are coming back. The dress, the shoes, the tiara. Can't wait!

However....
The List 2 weeks Wed to Wed to Wed

• Finish 4th quarter Interim Grades (and grading)
• Help all senior teachers who can't use the internet to post their interim grades
• Plan review for seniors for their final exams and AP test
• photocopy AP Energy Tests for Friday
• Forensic Book Work on Arson
• Biology Project rubric "Chewin the Chesapeake" food webs
• Get divorce documents to Ontario lawyer
• Apply for Ontario marriage license and FedEx the documents or fax...
• Go to Boot Camp at the Gym 8:30 am Saturday
• Write 4 page lab report on functional feeding groups
• Write 8 page paper for Limnology
• Finish Biochemical Adaptations text readings
• Go on Limnology Field Trip to the Catoctin mountains to wade in stream Sunday
• Hang pictures in house
• Clean house for guests
• Lesson plans for week, APES, Forensics, and Biology
• Attend Limnology class lecture (no lab due to field trip hooray)
• Out for drinks with ladies from limnology monday night due to no lab
• Type answers for Limnology due Wednesday
• Attend the personal trainer appointment
• Grading night with Ms. Cotton Tuesday
• Attend classes Limnology and Biochemical Adapatations
• *Receive final exam take home from biochem (69.5% on midterm) YIKES!~
• Continue counting and receiving response cards
• Receive Otterbutt et al. Thursday - Try to answer question 1 from final
• Monday Lesson Plans required for sub
• Pick up minivan rental
• Receive Thirty-one and Mice Friday - There will be no answering of questions on exam
• Saturday Free Comic Book Day with family
• Do not attend opening of Spider Man 3
• Sunday Bridal Shower
• At least try to finish answering question 1
• Airport for Mice and 31 flavors
• Limnology lab on predation. Get to watch fish eat bugs.
• Tuesday: Grading with Cotton aka answer question 2 with cotton
• Wednesday: attend classes
• Thursday: adios otterbutt et al.
• Friday: Finish questions 3-4
• Saturday" Finish questions 5-6
• Sunday: Proof read and perfect paper, lab, and test

It's all about me and a little bit about the president

So... I must say. Last night at the Republicans for dinner, we started talking Forensic Science and Medical School. These two topics lead straight to the deaths of JFK and Lincoln. Prince McDLT Ensign Medical School started describing what happened to Lincoln as all the famous surgeons around came to see the bullet in his brain. Well, as they kept peering in with the probe,they pushed the bullet about 3 inches farther into his brain resulting in his death. He then said, maybe it was a blessing that they killed Lincoln because what would you do with a brain dead president.

I couldn't resist. I said, invade iraq, defend nonrenewable fossil fuels, elect a pet breeder for FEMA president.

The evening ended. BUT! I was really funny and couldn't resist. Good thing the Green Hornet is getting out of the military. I'm not fit for their consumption.

Wedding Plans Part 2

Addressing the envelopes may have not been difficult but mailing them has been . I am going to attempt to carry my shoes, dress, tiara (my favorite part) and addressed envelopes to the car. Probably should take two trips. So today is the day for getting the first fitting of the dress. I'm so excited. I'll send pics.

How fast spring break goes by so full of promise for time to get things done before it begins and then it is gone. I haven't done all things on my list. The wedding stuff has an attractiveness but grading the BOX full of papers I have to grade before Monday is a bit underwhelming. I'll get it done but the best part of this break is that I breaked. Really relaxed. And I deserved it. Unfortunately for me relaxing tends to accompany big bills in shopping, pampering, and drinking.

I've lived here for five years and I finally got to see the Baltimore Orioles play for $7.00. It was a great time. So much history in that game. However, I needed a full day, facial, message, and haircut to even see straight after a night out with Coach P -not to be confused with "the Coach" in days of yore- and there was a strange Utah ness about the audience. Sad really.

Wedding plans

Addressing Envelopes. It really wasn't that difficult. Once I found the addresses it only took a few hours. Who knew what the tissue paper was for? To keep the ink from running in the age of innocence. Picture white gloves on Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis. I really liked the formality of it, however, I find formal-ness not quite fitting me. For example, Big Daddy took me to the Opera and I was very over dressed in my green ball gown and black shawl, but I walk like a five year old in heels throwing the entire outfit off. I also wore long black gloves that fell on the floor repeatidly and I was very bitter at having to sit still for hours and not be moving on an airplane. Reason number 3017 to live near your sisters... Another problem with my formality is not having any females in my entourage. Coach Peat and Mr. T had to help me try on my dress, and there is now a full reason why men are supposed to stay away from tiny buttons and big dresses. It was funny. Hag in a wedding dress, who knew.

Anniversary

It is the one year anniversary of meeting Lt. Green Hornet. I have to say it was one of the best weekends of my life. Yes, i was ignoring all housework and grad school work and grading that needed to be done, but quite literally, I had the time of my life. And yes I hope you are singing that in the Dirty Dancing version well I've had the time of my life. And I owe it all to youoooouuuu. It's annoying. Here are some pictures, I still don't pull off thirty-one or otterbutt's glamour in photos... But picture me with 3 less chins and we're a hit! It was quite fun

Autumn in

Sadness about my friend Ned (who looks like Superman on certain days and Hugh Grant others) lost his wife, Stephanie, to cancer at the age of 33. They had just married this summer and she was diagnosed on August 1, and died September 16. The funeral was yesterday and it was the tragic. Our department was there for him, but it's hard to know what to say. He has to return to school next week, we only get 5 days of berievement. Truly makes one value what we do have each moment.

first days of school

Best first start in 5 years. All is running smoothly. I am knocking on the wood in Otterbutt's dining room. Z is playing with the dogs and the parents are out at the bank. I'm taking Molecular Bio very interesting. We get to read the original papers by the classicist i.e. Watson and Crick and Franklin and Wilkins. No one ever remembers the girl or the chemist but W&C did steal a glimpse of their work before publishing. Franklin didn't win the Nobel prize with them because she dies (due to x-ray crystallography work on the DNA molecule). I wonder why so many early female scientists worked with cancer causers?

ANYWAY my teaching classes are wonderful the kids are great. Z is crying now must go...

nephew losing teeth...great first days of school.

Summer Sweet Corn

Otterbutt's new house, new backyard, new neighborhood, new internet connection, new grocery store, new lake, new birds, new bugs, new mosquito bites, new school, new mailman, new sheets, new broom, new mop, new garbage can... is beautiful, clean, fresh like sheets outside on the line - full of promise, excitement - and inevitable mess to clean again. But exciting none the less.

Not as plain as the Iowa countryside, full of corn as tall as I am as far as you can see, it surrounds your entire soul. Made me want to lay down and watch the clouds - I was very sleepy. I will spare the details of the trip except to say we spent most of it either at Wal-mart or on the couch. I read Anna Karenina almost all the way (150 pgs to go) and my man got me a new laptop exactly like the one he broke. Oh yeah we ate corn!

Dismantle

The world is dismantling tomorrow. The rug pulled beneath the feet. A planned pull, but a pull none the less. It is good to change, change is the only constant in life. But it is also hard - and as I know from personal experience that its easier like a bandaid. Running away without any mention. But maybe planning will have a benefit. Maybe less tears... Or tears for less time...

Dogs

Lt. Green Hornet's Family Dog Died Friday. We're going to visit them in August, very soon, but they are all really sad. It is sad, and hard not to make it about myself or my own pet deaths... I don't know what to say because I am probably making it worse.

We had a nice weekend so far (except Heidi's passing). We went to ARTscape with TnT and the little Coach. I took the lightrail and met everyone down there (little coach and the lt. also took the lightrail, it is really fun) The art was great, I saw a raku cat Maestra would love, but I couldn't pick the color and when I went back I couldn't find the guy (maybe because I took my friend Kendall (a lot of my friend Kendall) with me.) They had great music, food, and fireworks. Living in the city has its perks. It was nice to be so close to the action but be able to rest and use T's A/C. TnT just got two new little pug puppies. They are sooo cute. Blaise and Isabel! Lart's piece at artscape is a greenhouse with fake flowers in it. I think it's a statement about how we can't grow fake flowers in a greenhouse, aluding to the fake keeping up with the Jones' but she has titled it with 3 family names of people who appeared happy and then one spouse killed the other. I worry about Pork&B's safety ha ha.

Saturday we went to dinner and to see Superman Returns (awesome movie). Quite a date I must admit. We brought the little coach with us. I can't say anything about returns because I'm afraid I will ruin it, but I think Crash would love it! They had a preview for Spider Man 3 next spring and I got very excited!!!!

Im also excited about teaching. This course I'm in is really helpful and I won't have to reinvent the wheel for Forensics anymore. Epiphany in Baltimore keeps freaking about his new schedule and allIthe advice he gets mentions that he shouldn't take 2 grad classes with 2 class preps. I have 3 class preps and taking 2.5 grad classes. It is too much. But with the Lt. around working hard is contagious and I guess I'll just be working from 04:00 to 20:00 each night and then maybe salvage a weekend. Epiph is just amazing as well, he got a student from the city a full ride to U of M and it is just so wonderful to see his responses to this experience...

We're discussing a dog nanny and a housekeeper for this time. We both are tolerant to the slob lifestyle but I think it would be easier to study, grade, plan, study, plan, grade, watch movies, instead of worrying about the house all the time. But it makes me sound a little bourgeoisie but of course I am. Planning a second wedding makes anyone a little bourg... I've been looking at dresses, flowers, invites, tuxes, champagne toasts, I've already made the music playlist (Engaged, and Engage!) I can't wait to marry him. It will be de-lovely. 10 years between weddings, 5 since divorce, it's plenty of time to forget how fun this is. I didn't do any of this stuff for my first wedding except buy an ugly dress at ZCMI and flowers from a girl Lart new...

Silent Men

At the house where it is always quarter of eight, the men don't say much anymore. They sit, sleep, laugh occasionally, but there is a noticeable silence. Maybe because we talk too often and too loudly for anyone to get a word in, Maybe because they are comfortable and well fed, Maybe because what they want to say is unsayable or impolite in front of a grandmother or to a grandmother, Maybe because they would rather be...

It is better than the time when there weren't any men, or the lack of them was an emptiness that could be felt for miles. As we prepare for the new void, an empty screaming silence that makes us hungry and lost, maybe the men are just practicing the newness or embracing the sadness with a tinge of excitement. It's the end and the beginning - again...

Yes!

By the lamppost where we first kissed
Sunny afternoon
On one knee
I said yes!
A thousand times yes!

Reading blogs...

It's so funny because all the teachers from NYC, LA, Baltimore, Utah... everyone has the same gripes... NCLB, bureaucracy, testing... It's like one big grad school bitch fest, you know when everyone starts complaining about the system.

Yesterday, I wore a tshirt with a peace symbol. Lt. Green Hornet gave it a very weird look, then said it was great. I want to take a picture of him in his uniform and me in my peace t. I wonder though, if it is in some way a little offensive to him. Again, complaining about the system.

I planted a garden this year on my balcony. I have two tomatoes, that I fear need to be in separate pots and are together, and herbs; basil, rosemary, lavender (?), 2 oreganos (?), thyme, tarragon, sage, parsley. I hope you are now singing the S&G song and wondering why I didn't write them in that order....

Time Zone

One excellent advantage to writing a journal on a blog is the ability to edit. My journal was never actually intended to be private, but when Otterbutt read it on a trip home from college in 1989, it became aparent that I thought it should be. That was back before the electrons began floating everywhere. We didn't have cell phones, we had to call each other at home and actually both be home to talk to one another. We sent mail, actual mail for correspondence. Anyway, it is hard to write in a cyber journal that may be read, may not be, but could be, it feels as though I'm leaving the diary unlocked.

My dependence on electronic energy is so drastic. I feel such calm and safety in the fact the lesson will be successful when I am teaching, if I have some sort of electronic e-gadgetey thing that will aid me in this. As summer begins, I find myself talking to the air via blogging, waiting for family to email, my horoscope to be texted to me, my diet and exercise to come from the net. TV, DVD, iPod, Videogame... Oops, check the email again. I am not interacting with any human energy at all, I'm just interacting with electronic gadgets.

Doing yoga on DVD this morning. I plan on turning on other electrons later. It is raining in Baltimore.

Epiphany in Baltimore

Epiphany in Baltimore

Sisters

My two beautiful sisters: Poets, Chefs, Mothers, Runners? Otterbutt and Thirty-one are Officially correct about EVERYTHING! Including blogging. A bandwagon I've of course been slow to start, and I will be equally as slow with the running... I'm sure it will become aparent soon that I do not have the poetic graces you both have and you will probably be able to see my Queen of the Nerd and Science Teacher Abilities too easily, but forgive my first official blog...

It has come to my attention on my first official day of summer, no school, no work, no grad school, no kids, nothing to do, that being a teacher does have its perks in June July and August. I found myself working on lesson plans last night (with my best friend Kendall) with intermittent bouts with the video game Tomb Raider Legend on XBOX.

I miss the kids. They are wonderful. My nephew Crash is truly one of the best people on the planet. My niece, the flower, loves to speak in code and I became aware of her excellent ability to get a crowd of 7 people out of the house in a timely fashion with a rallying cry of "let's go" I also heard my favorite sound of a little girl whom I will nickname Goose however some say it is a pterodactyl sound. I must admit, I'm not old enough to remember pterodactyl noises, but the rumor is that my boss Big Daddy had a pet one once...

This morning, I awoke to the Green Hornet aka Lt. Davis, "good morning, will you marry me?" followed by "I miss Lily"