Freaking out again.

Okay, so I was on a ROLL. I had all my students in a row. They're doing their work. They're paying attention. They're accepting the consequences of their behavior. I rock because they understand the rhythm of French class.

But finals week is FREAKING ME OUT. I'm teaching one last book lesson to my level ones, and I just can't seem to stretch it out just perfectly in the planning stages. I'm worried that we'll either not get it done or we'll finish in no time and have nothing to do aside from finals review for 5 days ... and that's excessive. My other levels are okay, as far as I know. I just have to WRITE their finals. Dangit. I would normally just use the previous French teacher's finals, but I haven't been teaching the same as her AT ALL and it wouldn't be fair to the students if I threw that at them.

And then, I get a status in my attendance program that I'm getting a new advanced student. From Champaign ... but also from THE REPUBLIC of the CONGO. Yep, French-speaking country. So, she's going to just be bored out of her mind in my class (likely) and/or totally make fun of every mistake that I make. Based on her previous grades, she's not been buckling down so great. I already have a foreign exchange student in that class, so it will make for a nice mix of backgrounds, to say the least.

**UPDATE** The lead counseling person actually was mis-informed. The student's parents are from the congo republic, and the student lived in FRANCE. So, even better. I don't think I'll talk about this any more in my blog, though, because it might get too detailed. But yeah, I think I'm going to have to have some conversations with some people.

But I'm not going to let on that I'm freaking out. Nope. Smooth sailing, as far as they're concerned.

Has curiosity ever killed the teacher?

Okay, so I've had students with out of school suspensions before. I am always *dying* to know why they've been suspended. Right now, I have two students on our of school suspensions. And again, I'm dying to know. I always worry that their unexcused absences will result in their failure and untimate dropping of French, particularly when they'll be gone for TWO WEEKS. I have to give them the work to keep up with, but they;re not to be given credit for homework.

There are a couple students whom I could just walk up to and say, "So, what'd you do?" ... but not many.

Oh no, you did NOT, 30 Rock!

I'm watching, and the first 2 minutes ...

Tina's character never changed her address (or reregistered) when she moved from CHICAGO because she wanted to vote in a SWING STATE.

Um, since when is Illinois a swing state?

the MOST amazing product for kitty

My kitty (yay! I have her back!) has a bit of a throw up problem thanks to her problem digesting cat hair ... and OMG the stains are always so gross and I hate them.

Yesterday I stopped by wal-mart for a few baby shower things, and i was going to grab a spot bot.

Wow, $120? I think not.

I thought I'd try to bissel sprays first (pet and upholstery), and if they don't work, then maybe I'll buy the bot.


AWESOME. If you have pet stains, this little guy is what you should be looking for!




Yeah, that's about as interesting as I can be right now.

Who'd have thought ...

that I'd just LOVE parent-teacher conferences?

It's true that there were a couple parents I was nervous about because I just didn't know what to say, but overall, the parents who came in wanted to know how they could help their kids succeed.

One student's dad is fluent in French and thought that I studied in France (like, for a long time). That was very flattering.

One student's mom said that her daughter LOVES my class.

There were some parents who were just SO proud that their kids can already do so much in French.

A couple parents didn't show up, so I'm wondering if I'll see them tomorrow.

I'm a bit worried about the parents I'm set up to see tomorrow, but I'm sure it'll be fine! ....

Influential Films

So I've been watching I Love the 70's (I know, I'm a child of the 80's but whatev), and somehow I started thinking of a movie that somewaht influences my desire to NEVER go to Thailand. Brokedown Palace.

What TV shows and films come to mind during the course of your day? Come on, you know there are some....

Baby Matters

Okay, so I know sometimes I can be insensitive. I'm going to try not to be.

But baby time is upon us.

I have a best friend who now has a baby boy. He's a cute little guy, but he is SUCKING MY BEST FRIEND DRY. No, I'm not talking breast milk. I'm talking energy. And he's a really laid back kid, but he can't do anything himself, of course. She has this unbelievable feeling of inadequacy, especially because she can't breastfeed. She was really stressed out after the delivery, and she feels really guilty about that. I might offer to watch the kid while they go see a movie the weekend after next.

Oh, yes, and former McCoy BRANDI is preggers, due Jan 1. I love both of my sisters dearly, but I can only take so much of this one while she's pregnant. She gets distracted as easily as a puppy. I stopped by yesterday because I was heading home from Heather's and got mixed up in some crazy traffic. Wow. I've never tried harder to answer someone's questions in my LIFE. She'd ask me a question, then while I'd be answering her, she'd interrupt me, and then walk away. I hope this goes away after she's had the baby. It'd be really bad if she were bathing the poor girl and then decided she had to clean the bathroom. Oooops!

Anyway, I really hope I like this kid because I would HATE to be the aunt who didn't like Lyddie until she's 5. or 15.

don't forget the sunscreen

I supervised the soccer game on saturday, and I didn't think to put on sunscreen. I now have a red mask on my face. I look like an idiot.

I'll post a picture if I snap one today...

what I wish were my second career....

You know, I think I need to take a trip to NY sometime really soon and sit down with the writers. The following sketches need *my* input:

• Weekend Update: As much as I love the segment, some of the "guests" are NOT FUNNY.
• ANY Character who is defined as "funny" because he or she talks funny. That's NOT FUNNY.
• Don't burst into song. Just don't.
• Get rid of Deep House Dish. Find another way to make fun of youth and pop culture. Please see rule about singing.
• Don't use the same pop culture icon more than once. Facebook as a verb ONE TIME is enough in one show.
  

When a show is 90 minutes long with commercials but only 40 minutes on its own, you really need to PAY ATTENTION, writers! We DVR viewers can count.

in SEPTEMBER?!

Okay, so I had a visitor on Thursday. One of the head counselors in the guidance office with a student. It was second hour. He's now in my first hour class. SURPRISE! :)

Luckily, this kid took french in middle school, so he should be on track. He's going to take the class's test as a diagnostic.

He seems like a nice kid. But he has one of those scary chin piercings. It doesnt make HIM scary. Like i said, nice kid. I just dont understand that trend. Oh well, so far so good.

I gave French 2 their first exams. no one failed.

I was generous.

I should be asleep.

But I'm not. For several reasons.

I talked to one of my sisters tonight, and I was planning on hanging with her and her husband over then weekend while I help them paint the nursery. After all, she ASKED me to help her with this a month or so ago (and it was for this month or next, so its not like theyve been waiting for me to roll out or something). She told me that he was planning on asking a friend of his to help and that dad was also hoping to come by and help if he can get out of saturday overtime. It's a little room I reminded her, but she reminded ME that theres also the ceiling, etc.

THEN, before i head into my bedroom tonight, I get an email from said sister, and she says that the "weekend plans have changed. bill wants to paint the room himself." Thats it. WTF? I honestly dont know if bill is doing some kind of daddy nesting thing or they just dont want me cramping their style, but whatevs. ill just get some quality work done for the follwing week. i hope.

I hate that I get so irritated about stuff like that. i dont know if i subconscously suspect some underlying meaning or what.

Also, I think I'm awake because I had 3 Dr Peppers tonight. Oooops.

hope for the single teacher?

Ugh, I had the WEIRDEST dream last night, and I'm not even going to get into it. But if made me think about my social life. I don't really have one because I'm working just about all the time.

I have no clue how to meet anyone in the area because it feels as if everyone I know is married. So maybe over xmas break or just before ill give the online thing a try. If anyone knows decent sites, let me know. Because I'm NOT doing any speed dating. I did consider "Its just Lunch" ... but i dont think i could actually MAKE the lunch.

...

Okay, seriously, I just went on the website. I signed up, soooo we'll see what happens! They do drinks after work if scheduling is a nightmare. We'll see, I say!

I'm Amanda.... Ms McCoy if you're (fourteen)

I have been having some big big days. I have a bigger day ahead of me next week: the principal's observing me! Eeeks! Let's hope my kiddies are as good as they usually are.

So on Friday I was getting my classroom ready. My door was open and kids were starting to bring their books (and selves) into the room. Then I see a girl wearing daisy duke style shorts. Dangit. So I ask her to hop in my room real quick, and she comes on in, and I discreetly ask her if she has another pair of bottoms to wear. And she says no.... So I tell her we need to take a little walk down to the Student Affairs Office. So I have to close my door because my students have left (and I have a laptop and have to keep my room secure...), and I walk all the way there with her to make sure she goes. She was really cooperative, and her friends walked with her. I think one of her friends needed to go in there too, but I didnt want to be a TOTAL bia.

Then, during my upperclassmen class (French 345), I had to lay the smack down on a student, too. He has a hard time doing the material, so he cops out and just reads a book. I asked him AGAIN to put away his book, and he lets out this huge dramatic sigh AGAIN. So I ask him to step into the hallway with me. We spend about FIVE minutes talking about this issue, and I hope that I properly communicated to him that it's necessary to make an effort, follow along, and GET SOME HELP. Because my class frustrates him to no end. But we walked back in and he got his French materials out and followed along. At the end, there was some time, so he got some help from me. I was really happy about that.

Okay, I have to get back to work so I can have the week broadly planned.

The Small Details matter.

Okay, so this is another teaching post. Sue me :)

I have students from all backgrounds. I have students getting C-'s and a couple students getting 100%. I have students who have to take time off from school because of anxiety. I have a student who cuts herself. I have a student who already knows she's going pre-med. And she's a freshman.

One of the students above was tardy in late august. Students are requires to fill in a tardy referral form, and once they've had three unexcused tardies, they have to serve a detention. Well, this student was tardy on the 10th, so i set her form aside to call her mom that afternoon. she was tardy for a third time on the 11th, so when i called her parents, i had to say that she was going to have a 45 minute detention.

She was late again today. She was obviously flustered. So I just kind of let her cool off while I took care of business for the day. When I went around to check the homework, I asked her to see me at the end of class. By the time 50 minutes had rolled around, she had calmed down and accepted the fact that the detention was a consequence of her lateness and nothing mean or specified just at her. I made a small decision to let something wait to settle (BUT still deal with it, of course), and it was the RIGHT decision. Thank goodness.

I want to make sure that I don't get "riled up" over a small decision that may have gone poorly.

But I'm going to anyway.

Crap I need to work on (This is more for me than my loyal readers...):
Don't ALWAYS saw what's on your mind. The kids don't need to know that, and it's just extra info that might confuse them anyway.
Get a schedule for the upper levels in the 3-4-5 class. They're getting bored. They'll stay in the class, but you don't want them to get an A without having learned anything.
Watch the New Orleans and Versailles DVDs and make worksheets to go with them.
Make a flipping sub packet!

Teaching as a theatrical art

Okay, so I was thinking about this today. I start serious preparation for the following school day at about 5:00pm (I get very little done during my prep period because I'm grabbing my mail and copies from the offices downstairs). But I start teaching at 8am. So I think of 8am as the "show" (I know I'm really teaching, don't get me wrong), and 5:00pm is my "rehearsal." It's when I make sure I have all my blocking, all my lines, all my props.

Again, I know that its not exactly theatre. Theatre would never have this much paperwork :)

The latest.

Okay, so it's been a busy day.

I had to fill about 25 minutes of my level one class. That was hard, but I think it worked okay. I just have to have more back up activity plans so the kids arent bored out of their mind!

There were club meetings today, and that was CRAZY. The club I sponsor voted on officers, and was craziness. I have to have a little talk with one of the newly elected officers because his "spiel" was like something out of a mud-slinging cartoon AGAINST the other kid running. Seriously, where do these kids come up with that. So like I said, he and I are going to have a chat and the club will re-vote during the next meeting. Anymore "negative campaigning" and he is out that door. I wish I would have said something sooner (like during the meeting) ... but I'm new and havent learnedhow to act that quickly on my feet yet...

And I made the dumb decision to go grocery shopping while STARVING. I am not the girl who needs to have cookies, pizzas, and dr pepper. but im hoping this keeps me from going to bk or taco bell every other day. And I bought some candy for incentives because there was a MAJOR sale (wa-hoo!)

I'm going to enjoy my friday night and then try to get some work done tomorrow and sunday. Work = cleaning the place AND well, grading and planning.

wow, that's a new one.

Hey all.

Yep, I'm home. At 3:50 pm. We had early dismissal today because it got pretty hot at school. tomorrow I will hopefully have little problem getting my class(es) back on track.

I have to run to Barnes and Noble because apparently the book I ordered? Didn't get ordered because I havent paid for it yet. Weird.

Man, early dismissal throws me off, even when it's expected. This is just even more so.

The littlest things excite me ...

I got ALL the DVDs I requested today! I'm really excited that I'll now have something to show about New Orleans and Versailles.

But, todays was a good day. Long week straight ahead....

Life comes along during the teaching season?!

So my car hates me. It makes funny noises that I can't understand. I have to find the time (and money) to get it fixed ... and perhaps get a rental car. All with a 6:45am to 8pm schedule.

I just got a bill from my consolidated SIUE student loan (I deferred it while I was at NIU), and its due the day BEFORE my first paycheck will be in.

I was having a pretty good day until daily life showed up! :)

I'm hoping my car will make it to work and then to the shop. I can't describe what it sounds like other than it sounds like a whistling donkey. Got that, Tapper Brothers? My dad suggested I call a cab, but I'm thinking that if I need a cabbie to drive me around, thats going to end up being just as expensive as renting a car, plus I would have to rely on the cabbie's timeliness. I don't expect anyone but me to be punctual.

At any rate, teachings still going well. I had a bit of a bad day on Friday, jsut because of one little class. They;re the last class of the day, and it was a Friday. Need I say more? Well, I somehow lost control of the classroom (IMO), and we got nothing accomplished. My mentors great and supportive (remember, this is me ... if one class goes poorly, that's all I can think about!) and gave me some suggestions about last period Fridays. Apparently my predecessor had the same problem. So I'm going to have to lay down the hammer, too. However, if they're not focusing, the first quiz (Wednesday) may do that on its own. We'll just have to see.

The ones have their first quiz tomorrow! I'm so excited!

Oy, what a nerd...

What day is it?

I must repeat myself: I freaking LOVE my job. Maybe its my ego, but I really feel like I can be there for my students. I know what kind of teacher I hope to be and I think that I am already: commited, understanding, but with high expectations. I need a bit more prep as far as going through what I want to make sure the students have a grasp of, but my mentors really helping me with that. I have to adjust my expectations fo my students all the time because they had another teacher for their past experience in French. I don't want to bore my advanced students nor make my students who are a bit behind want to pull out their hair due to frustration.

I have high hopes for my level one students. they're on it, and they GET IT. They have to do the work, but they get credit for every letter. The older students, well, theyre not really all that used to consistent work, I think. I hope the level threes stick with it., though I'm concerned they might not.

Tonight was just about my earliest morning and earliest time home: I woke up at 5am and at school at 7am. and was out of the school at 7:30. I hope that all this work will pay off next year. my goal for next year is to be out the door at 6 every night.

I do have other goals, of course, but they're more far-fetched and for my French 1 students.

First days

Okay, people, let me start off with the positive:

I love my job. It's a hell of a lot of work. I just had a 14 hour day, and I'm still not done. But I'm not pissy. I'm just a little tired.

It's amazing how much planning a school will do for the first day of school, and yet the simplest part of it all -- just telling people where they need to be -- seems to elude the school. Ooops. Hopefully they'll take my suggestion and indicate on the first day's schedule where students are only there a half day, if that. I got my first CPDU that day, though, so thats a plus!

My first day? A student tripped over my laptop cord, and this incident, of course, caused the laptop to fall and be "messed up". Only this could happen to ME on the first day of a job. But the tech guys were super helpful and were able to switch out my hard drive. So its a positive.

The most challenging part of my day? I have 4 classes before my prep. and allllll my different preps are in the morning. This makes for a pretty rushed morning. But then I have 54 minutes of prep and about 30 minutes for lunch. I cant bring myself to eat a real lunch, but I'm bringing some granola bars with me everyday. And lots and lots of water.

So things are mostly good. I know this is my first year, so alll this work is normal. It'll get better next year. I repeat this mantra.

Also, I'm going to be an aunt! Yay for niece to-be Van Leeuwen!

Commence automatic freak out sequence, Teach.

Okay, so I didn't start freaking out about this fall until yesterday, when I realized that I'm going to have my hands full for the next ten months.

I don't have a supply list or letter for parents yet, but I really like what I snagged from Nataliya last year, so I'm going to pull a lot from that. The first day of school is just an extended tour of the building for the students, but wednesday (of next week) is the first full day. I have a student who has gained rank for French 5, and I'm worried she's an exchange student who's better at the language than me. Hopefully I can teach this kid something... Oh, and this genius kid (I'm guessing) is in a class with French 3 and French 4 students. If anyone out there teaches combined classes like this ... please let me know.

Tomorrow I have another day of workshops, and I'm hopiong I feel a little more prepared. If I don't, I'm camping out in my classroom.

I should have bought a Mega Millions ticket

So Friday was a CRAZY amazing day in my book. Right now, Friday's just like any other day because I'm no technically working. I'm working, but I'm not getting paid. Such is the life of a teacher, at least the first year. You know, there's a weird new thing with teacher's pay. Apparently, taxes are done differently now because we're paid 12 months a year but only work 10. But theres almost a whole pay period for Winter Break, and we get paid normally for that... I don't know. I'm not complaining, I'm just curious.

Anyway!

I went to the school to get a heap of work done. My predecessor left me loads of materials, but a lot of it I want to set aside. In the poubelle. There are SO MANY tapes from the day of the language lab as main teacher, and I think I'm going to throw away all those tapes on Monday after Day One of the new teach workshop. But I was concerned because theres this large podium in the front of the classroom, and it was totally blocking where I wanted to put the patio table and chairs (it sounds white trash, but it's a BISTRO SET). I put in a request for the maintenance dudes to unbolt it and maybe move it? I was nervous because I've already asked these guys to remove a large makeshift Eiffel Tower, and I'm betting that thing was a bear to get rid of. But anyway, I put in my request and started moving things around. I decided to just try and move it. AND IT MOVED! I was stoked and practically RAN to the nearest office to ask the secretary to tear up the request. I mean, I was so excited that I could move this podium for it to work for me. So I just angled it a little, and it looks great.

So I got home after about 5 hours of work, and deicded I should check on my laptop. I took it to Best Buy on the 25th, and hadn't heard about it, so I checked online, and after entering all my info, it said they needed approval before repairing it or something. My thoughts? "Great. I have viruses and they're going to charge me $150 to remove them." But I called anyway, and, I GOT A NEW LAPTOP FOR "FREE!" This is thanks to my extended PSP. I think I'm going to get a tablet from work, but that's only for the school year. So, if I can do random things on my work computer (like wireless access), I might loan Heather my NEW laptop for that time period and then steal it back for summer time. I'm still thinking about it.

So those two little things (podium = moveable and the "free" laptop) made me think I was the luckiest person ever.

When was your last lucky day?

Quick weekend

My dad came for a quick visit this weekend. He had planned on coming on Friday, but somebody in his wife's family died, so he wasn't able to come until Saturday. He helped me put together the bistro set for my classroom, installed my new programmable thermostat, and snakes the utility drain in my hallway. The bistro set isn't as sturdy as I had hoped, but I think it'll do for the first year. Besides, I could probably find some sturdier ones next summer. The thermostat eludes me right now. The reason he snaked the drain in the utility closet was because I have had this wet dog smell coming out of it as well as my a/c vents. It seemed to work, but the following day, the smell was back. I've tried to do some research, and some say that there's no proof that air duct cleaning helps anything, and some say that complete system cleaning is necessary. I can't really afford a $500 overhaul, but I can't stand the smell, either.

I signed up at a gym in Bourbonnais and went to equipment training this morning. I really didn't want to get up early, but I signed up for an 8am training, and I have to start kicking myself out of bed early! The first institute day is two weeks from today, and orientation for all of us new teachers is one week from today. So not more sleeping in past 6. Ugh, that sounds awful.

Upgrades!

I'm very, VERY happy to announce that I bought a few snazzy items for my place! I've been using the same bath towels since I moved into the dorms at SIUE (that would be 2001, peeps), and Carson's was having a ridiculous home sale, so I found a few colors that go well with my new shower curtain.
I splurged a bit on the lotion pump (that will be used for soap) and the matching tissue holder (silver; this picture doesn't really show the lotion pump; it's super pretty!).

I practically walked out of the store with a new bathroom, kids. I even got this super chic candle votive and a deep blue candle to go with the blue and purple towels that I bought. I tried to be clever and went to Target afterwards, thinking I could get similar towels for a cheaper price and then return the Carsons towels, but because this home sale was SO crazy, Carson's prices were actually better! Go figure. I'm considering going back Sunday or Monday to get the soap dish that matches the kleenex box and pump because the one I'm holding on to doesn't really match. Please stay tuned for pictures of the actual room itself; I'll probably take them and post them this weekend!

Dad's coming down from B-town to help out with a few things, including getting me some glass for the coffee table and end tables in the living room. I have oodles of postcards that I've held on to, and I think they'll make a great display for under the glass. I have some pictures of Provence (from a calendar, not my 2006 trip) that I might thumb through for the end tables.

my first meeting

Awe, that title looks so sweet I could just spit.

Anyway, I had my first owner's meeting tonight. It was a special meeting for the assessment on filling in the pool. That's right, future visitors. No more pool. However, it hasn't been up and running for like 10 years, apparently. BUT we owners are paying for insurance on a place that has a running pool anyway. Actually keeping and maintaining the pool would be ridiculously expensive, and apparently the state requires a lifeguard for all "commercial" pools -- I guess it's considered commercial because condos are a special residence? Weird. But anyway, we're taking out a line of credit to fill in the pool (with either dirt or cement... I have no idea when we'll vote on that), get security lights, and repaint the exterior! With my ownership, I'll have to pay another $30 per month. If I had the dough, I could just pay my share with no interest ... but I don't have $1200 laying around. There's apparently a lot of drama with the developer, who still owns 10 units. It's a lot more complicated than I have the capacity to ask/think about right now..

The loud dirties (their official names in my book) who live above me are on their way OUT. They moved in at the beginning of the month, but their violations are so out of control that they're being evicted, according to my informant (my kitty corner neighbor's mom) ANd the Condo Board president. Any evidence of their packing is yet to be seen as of Aug 2nd, but my fingers are crossed that they'll be gone by the time my new teacher orientation starts. I'm hoping the owner, whoever (s)he is, does a little more screening for the next tenant. Seriously, I can hear the kids messing around at 1:30 in the morning. I know it's summer, but let's get it together, PARENTS!

And the pavement ants are almost all gone. I dropped about $30 on my ant-war ammo (Terro liquid ant baits, outdoor spray, borax, and boric acid). They just love the pavement slab that the units rest on, and the mulch hasn't been replenished in what looks like a while (not this summer, that I know for sure!). I'm hoping I can encourage some kind of pavers for the mulch and shrubbery (::insert Monty Python "shrubbery" here::) areas because it's looking kinda sloppy right now.

I started working out again on Tuesday, but I'm not eating well yet. I did, however, buy some Swedish pate (crab and salmon -- salmon's not that great, but the crabs delightful!) and crackers at ikea. I have a veritable vat of lettuce that I need to move up in the fridge so I'll see it and then eat it. Eeew, that could sound bad out of context. I resolve to NEVER weigh myself but to use my clothing as a guide. I got scared in the past few weeks because I stopped working out and my pants went from being loose to, um, not so loose :(

just a few things ...

Okay, so things are coming together in the condo. My step-mom bought me a coffee table and matching side tables. I bought myself a few more French things to accent what I already have. I'll be getting a bedroom set from Brandi and Bill next month, so my guestroom will need some head-scratching rearranging. I only have my desk, bookshelf, secretary desk, printer cart (AKA microwave cart), and a tiered end table... I'm a little scared to do so, but I think I need to move my secretary desk into my bedroom. And that mo is heavy! A couple things I would really like to get squared away are 1) the funky smell in my bedroom :( and 2) the bugs! The previous owner has little ant thingies in some places, so maybe I should get some fogger or something. UGh. I hate bugs.

I was really unhappy when I got an email from verizon saying that my bill was $150. Yowza. But I looked at my usage, and with all the condo biz, etc, I was making way more peak calls than usual. I haven't had a big bill like that in YEARS. Now that I have the digital voice (unlimited local and long distance), that shouldn't happen ever again. Let's face it, money's a worry for EVERYONE nowadays, and the fact that contracts are now in mediation kinda freaks me out. I know we'll get paid, I just wish I could budget for September already!

Got the security deposit back from Lincolnshire West today and deposited that bad boy right away so that I could send Shawna her portion. I was really stoked to get that because, hey, wow, pay some credit card debt down... But then I looked at my budget and realized that most of it will have to go towards house payments. I can't wait until I get a PAYCHECK. Jeez, lol!

So on a happier, more social note, Brandi's showing! She's got her little bulge of a baby. She and Bill will know if it's a boy or a girl next month, and Mandi, Heather, and I are getting some plans put together for her shower. I think once this baby's grown out of it, I'll never want to see another CareBear as long as I live.


AND -- Project Runway is BACK! Get excited!

Oh, internet, how I've missed ye!

Okay, kids, Amanda's back! I've been in the new place since Saturday, July 5th, but I wasn't able to get someone here to install my cable, internet, and digital voice until Tuesday. There were some serious complications with the installation of the internet, and I didn't get that hooked up until today.

Please email me or call my cell if you'd like my landline number. I still have my cell, of course, but it's always good to have another contact number if you want it.

The new place is good - I've got some decs up in the living room, but I'm going to wait to paint until next summer because, well, I have no money to buy paint. I'd like to post some pics, but that would mean tracking down my camera ... and I have a few other things I'd like to dig up first. For example, I can't find a book I really wanted to read this summer: La Belle France. It's a history book (yep, a NON-FICTION book!) that I thought would be good to read before teaching!

Anyway. I have some ideas for paint, though. I think I'll paint (Pittsburgh Paints):

the living room: borough brown, Rosso Verona, Silver Frost (a purple)
the bathroom: California Sky and Celery Stalk (yellowish -- I may find a more yellow hue, though)
Master Bedroom: Killarney (very light green) and Wisteria Bloom (a Dutch Boy purple)

I have a guest room, but I haven't gotten the furniture from Brandi yet. It's a yellowish set, but I dont know what color would go well with that, nor what would go well for a Guest room.

Almost in a good mood.

Yeesh.

I had the condo closing today, so the last 24 hours have been hell. Wait, lets expand that to 36 hours.

I was waiting to hear from my realtor what my "closing cost" would be. I was under the impression that I would just have to worry about the down payment because that's pretty much what he told me. Not so much, apparently. The seller paid a little over $1200, and I paid $700. I should have made a note in the contract that the seller was to pay the first $2000 closing costs. I still would have been responsible for certain taxes, but I sure as heck wouldn't have had to pay some of these other ridiculous fees. I should have been a little meaner to my realtor because he said some things that were inaccurate, like the "no application fee" thing. It was just withheld until closing.... sigh.

But anyway, the seller is a DOLL and left me notes about the neighbors, the plumbing, and, well, that's it. She cleaned just about everything, and she didn't really have to. She left me a shower curtain, some bathmat things, and couple other handy items.

I'm moving in on Saturday, and I'm not freaking out about anything except for the stupid money thing. I didn't expect to have to pay another $700 on top of the $4600 down payment I have set aside for the closing. Luckily, my dad floated me a loan for $400 of that. But I have to shave off $300 somewhere. Maybe I'll just close out my savings account that has to have a minimum balance of $300. Hey, look at that! Done!

Well, I'm not freaking out about it, but I am peeved about this: I called comcast yesterday to set up my cable in the new place. I didn't transfer service because I was going to look into getting FIOS. Ooops, not available in IL yet. So I set up digital cable and high speed internet, and there was actually an opening for Monday, the 7th! Yesss!

Today, after I got back to Brandi's from all the closing madness, I realized that I didn't set up DVR service. I love love love DVR. So I went to add it to my service, and the lady couldn't find it ... she went to look for it ... and then she hung up on me. This happens WAY too, much comcast! Shame on you! Anyway, when I called back, I got to talk to a very nice girl who was able to help me out. Apparently, the number that I found online was for a third party, and they can't check to see if the previous owner has disconnected yet. Yep, the seller had the disconnection scheduled for Saturday ... July freaking 12th! I'm sorry, but there's no way this girl can survive without internet. Cable, maybe. Not without internet.

So I was very honest with this woman about how disappointing it was to have to go through with this, especially since the person I talked to and the website I saw was PLASTERED with comcast's name and logo. There was no disclosure or anything like that, and I was thinking about demanding an even better deal -- free DVR service, anyone? But I can't. Unless they were to offer it, there's no way.

Oh, and this class? Driving me nuts. Not because it's hard. It's just RIDICULOUS! The papers are glorified journal entries (as if I hadn't mentioned this already, sorry, kids!). Plus, the prof is HORRIBLE at responding to emails! I need to freaking know what's up for next week! Everyone does! She has one book listed as due on the discussion board, but a different book on the Assignments page! Grrr... If people can't focus during the summer, DON'T AGREE TO TEACH A CLASS!

That is all. Sorry for the b-ing.

Who'd have thought

Who'd have thought ...I'd ever type this:

It's a good thing my realtor's gay because I would probably have a MAJOR crush on him by now. Just because he's been in my corner the whole time. He's made a few slips, but not because of laziness but because of small details that anyone could have missed. Those minor slips have been surpassed by amazing attention to this "property virgin" -- soon no more!

I'm packing. I hate packing. The next time I move, I'm just throwing everything away and buying new stuff.

The Amanda Show: Vol. 3

One of my friends from SIUE and AST, Joi, posted this on her blog (see links to the left). It's a list of 100 things that were worth doing in your life and reflecting upon them. Here's the first installment of my list! And, these are in no particular order, just the order in which they "came to me." (repeat from vol 1)

49 Being awarded three scholarships from Coe College. It was still entirely too expensive, but I felt pretty good about it because they were all talent-based.

48 Being accepted into CSOPP. I didn’t go, and that turned out to be the best for me, but at least they wanted me at one point in time.

47 When I went back to DHS to sub, my French students were genuinely happy to see me.

46 Going to dinner with Nataliya and her husband. That was a really fun night, and I’m glad I finally got to meet Mr Z.

45 Realizing that, after 22 years of hating having to clean a house, I want a clean home and I’ll clean on my own.

44 When I was in the fourth grade, my drawing was chosen to be the flag for reading week. I felt pretty freaking special.

43 I won $50 in 7th grade in a drawing. I had a small, almost non-reaction. Hey, what luck!

42 This is minor, but I was really happy to help Karen clean her house for their Bible study she and my dad were hosting that night. I don’t support the basis for their meetings, but when I can help Karen, I feel like a minor peace treaty is in the draft process.

41 Going to the flea market with Brandi, Mandi, and her friends. I got TWO great purses and one matching wallet. Who knew a shopping experience would make it in my top fifty? Well, these are random after all…

40 Going to the IL HS theatre festival and seeing a much less impressive version of The Foreigner.

39 I was mistaken for a French-Canadian in Montreal. I spoke French to the guy behind the desk at the hotel in 2006 and he didn’t know I spoke English. How cool is that?

38 Going fishing with my dad. I hate fishing, but my dad’s a difficult man to relax, and he seems to enjoy fishing.

37 Finding out my sister, Brandi, is going to have a baby! And I’m going to be an aunt! Wa-hoo!

36 Standing in Shelley’s wedding. My shoes were killing me but it was really cool to stand next to her.

35 Even though it was a long process, graduating from high school was pretty exciting!

34 Okay, graduating from SIUE was a LOT more exciting. I was able to find my family because Dave, my brother-in-law, was so much taller than everyone else in the audience.

33 A day or two after 9/11, I found a website that showed pictures of people all over the world showing their mourning and support. I was so moved!

32 Visiting my grandparents. I miss them terribly!

31 Winning my ipod on ebay. It was never hip, but I felt relatively up-to-date.

30 Getting my driver’s license. I was pretty stoked that my test instructor was fairly laid back … and didn’t make me parallel park.

29 Realizing that s’mores are made best in the microwave. That first one was the best s’more ever.

28 Going to Florida’s Disney with the band. I think that was the farthest I had ever been in a bus. Or maybe it was New York.

27 Moving to a new grade school in the 6th grade. Before school started, one girl knew right away that I was new, but one of my teachers didn’t; she seemed to think I fit in pretty well.

26 Reading Jane Eyre for fun. I probably could have “gotten more” from it if I had read it for a class, but I felt as if it were an accomplishment anyway.

25 Watching Dave and Heather’s nephew play hockey. It only took me about 6 years to have enough interest to actually watch the Stanley Cup finals.

p to the issy.

I'm in a pretty horrible mood. I knew thing were going to come to a head this week, but I didn't realize things were going to be so crappy. There won't be a list of things that are irritating me right now because I'll feel like a jerk. None of it's that bad, I'm just having a hard time juggling it all. Ha.

hmm.

So okay, I'm taking an online course this summer. It's mostly just to pad my endorsement in English, and it's not a big deal if I do very well.

However.

Part of every online course, it seems, is to post your own question about the text that the class is reading and discussing for the week. We're doing Hamlet this week. I've read Hamlet three times, so I feel as if I know a lot about it. I asked a question about Denmark because that's where its set and something else about the religious notes in the text. One of my classmates responded, and done.

Then the prof chimes in and practically tells me, "Well what you SHOULD be asking about is Shakespeare's audience, not Denmark."

Really? Do you have to invalidate my question like that? I guess I'm at the point in my academic career where I feel my interest in a certain part of a work is valid and I don't need to be steered in another direction.

Hmpf, this may actually HINDER my performance in a class. What a rip.

Dangit.

So, I'm not allowing myself a "day off" with food. I used to eat like a total idiot: Pizza, burgers, whatever I wanted.

I had more pizza that one "serving size". Now I feel horrible. Same thing happened when I had more than one cupcake.

For my loyal readers, please note that I'm going to try to ease off with posting about diet and exercise. A friend from high school and I have started a health blog, so check out my profile!

I fall sometimes.

I was taking out the garbage before I went grocery shopping last Friday, and I tripped up the stairs. I was wearing some new flip flops that have a little extra room by my toes, and plop! There I went. I now have a big scratch on my right arm and an ugly bruise on my left knee. It wasn't a big deal unless Heather's dog jumped on it. Also, taking a shower reminded me that I have a gash (?) on my arm.

However, I worked out at home today, and I still do push ups on my knees. That was no fun. Also, the cool down routine involves a lot of knee stuff. But even though I was not wanting to finish, I did. I had to do my own cool down, but that's not the big deal.

So much for Yahoo!

I finally broke down and deleted my yahoo email address. For those of you who need it, please comment here, and I'll give you my new email address at gmail.com

:-D

Rock out while I work out.

I need some assistance. I have been trying to run this week, and I need some more kickin' songs (yeah, I know) for my iPod. Here's what I have so far. I want advice!

With a little help from my friends - Across the Universe sdtrk
War - Edwin Starr
Get Low - Flo Rida
Handlebars - Flobots (cool down)
Promiscuous Girl - Nelly Fertado
Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
Piece of Me - Britney
Come Together - Across the Universe sdtrk
Four Minutes - JT and Madonna
La Belle et le Bad Boy - MC Solaar
My Love - JT
Glamorous - Fergie

(Top) Five?

1. What did you do 10 years ago?
I was almost sixteen, so I was probably bugging my dad to let me drive him somewhere, anywhere! was either at marching band camp OR working at Quick's.

2. Five items on your to-do list today:
1: post my responses on Blackboard.
2: work out.
3: Call U-Haul and see what the next size up is from the mini-mover I reserved.
4: eat breakfast
5: Call my mortgage broker and see if maybe the rates went down...

3. Snacks I enjoy:
I like to mix salty and sweet, which can be very dangerous. I just bought some applesauce packs yesterday, though, and I think they'll be my 50-cal salvation from cookies!

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Pay off my student loans and my sister's, buy a house in Chicago, Paris, New York, Phoenix, and wherever else I want, donate one mil to every school I've been to, find a charity to sponsor, and then do some serious shopping ... after putting the money in a trust or something.

5. Places I would live:
1: France (preferable one of the larger cities, but maybe not Paris)
2: Arizona
3: just outside of NYC
4: Canada
5: Houston, TX

6. Bloggers I am passing the challenge onto are:
Anna P, Anna Z, Cori, Salsa, and anyone else who reads this! :-D

By "passing the challenge" I mean, I'd like to read yours, but I won't come after you with a stick if you don't :-D

The Amanda Show: Vol 2

One of my friends from SIUE and AST, Joi, posted this on her blog (see links to the left). It's a list of 100 things that were worth doing in your life and reflecting upon them. Here's the first installment of my list! And, these are in no particular order, just the order in which they "came to me." (repeate from vol 1)

74. My initiation into the best sorority ever, Alpha Sigma Tau.

73. Hey, before that (74), being announced to Alpha Sigma Tau, and Anna Z running to meet me! I love and miss those ladies SO much! And I'm so glad Shawna came to NIU :)

72. Trying to donate blood when the "blood bus" was parked in the quad ... and being rejected because I had a temperature! Stupid gum! :) It was amusing, and I still donate when I can.

71. Meeting Lise' and Carol across the hall. These are some truly terrific ladies. Plus, they taught me how to play euchre.

70. Alpha Sigma Tau Convention. We Beta Etas were the hosting chapter, so we had a LOT of grunt work to do. But we had a lot of fun! This could be a long #70, but I'll leave it at this!

69. Getting Straight A's for the first time. This was during my second semester at NIU, I think, and I was ecstatic. I worked really hard, and it paid off. (It's true that I could have worked harder, but I guess it wouldnt have made much difference.)

68. Helping Heather and Dave fix up their house. I got to handle a drill. I got to steam up some old kitchen tile with a heat gun and then scrape it up. I got to paint. We ALL put some serious sweat into those rooms. Those rooms look great.

67 Having stuck to a work out schedule for a month.

66. Presenting our senior group project in Chicago at the APA paper presentation conference. We didn't get significant results, but I felt pretty fancy.

65. Being told, in high school, that I interview well. I was in a retailing class and a retail manager came in to do mock interviews.

64. Getting a surprise pedicure with my aunt. She doesn't get along with everyone in my immediate family, but she's a generous person who's willing to share and listen. And pay for pedicures ;)

63. Standing up to that jerk at EmbroidMe (right, Joi?!) who somehow tried to make me feel bad because his workers made a mistake. I felt like an adult when I told him, "You know, it's too bad because you seemed to have such great service when I walked in to order these items..."

62. Staying calm in my first car collision. Well, at least until the situation had passed.

61. This is absolutely superficial, but the first time my hair was ever STRAIGHTENED. I felt like I fit into a new crowd or something. I loved it and was hooked ... until I realized how long it took me to do it and how quickly my curls come creeping back!

60. Seriously looking at homes to BUY.

59. Putting in an offer and negotiating to BUY the condo.

58. Mumo and I had a (broken) ladies' luncheon at my house. She taught me how her French host mom prepared green beans and we had a merry old time in DeKalb! :)

57. When I was little, watching the 4th of July fireworks at the fairgrounds in Belvidere. We'd have a blanket to sit on and just watch them go.

56. Finding a skirt in France that fit me. It was a challenge, but I really like the skirt!

55. Participating in the role-playing activities of Mr Steinkamp's AP US History class. I got to be a southern representative. I did the accent, yes, I did!

54. Discovering the classical music station in the fifth grade. I was home sick ... and sick of 97.5. This was a gateway station to NPR, and I am officially an NPR addict!

53. Our first year with a "live" christmas tree. I just loved the way it smelled and didn't even mind "watering" it every 2 hours or whatever it was!

52. Learning that my new roommate, Holly, was an even bigger FRIENDS fan than I was! (I think we might be even now because I have the series and watch it during down time)

51. Walking around Target with my friend, Lydia, pretending to be British.

50. Going to Wal-Mart with Shelley after her rehearsal dinner. She was a wee bit drunk, but still a lot of fun. I had promised her mom I would "watch her."

I think there's a clear pattern of rant here :) Stay tuned for Volume 3!

Discipline and balance.

So today was an okay day. I felt kinda crappy earlier because Heather and I grabbed lunch at Burger King. I always get the whopper jr because, honestly, who really *needs* the whopper? Anyway, I got onion rings and a dr pepper (one in a million times i will choose the pepper over a diet something-or-other). After I finished the rings I felt like I needed to purge or something.

Now, gentle readers, I do not have an eating disorder. I have NEVER gotten sick by choice, if you know where I'm going. But I've been beginning to attach a certain emotion to fast food and another to home-made food (well, salads, at least). It's harder for me to accept the fact that I just had a burger with cheese and it won't cause me to never be able to work out. In fact, I made myself work out tonight to prove that to myself. I still tabulate what I eat, and sometimes I "go over" my calorie "goal," but I hope that I never bring myself to that point. And I don't think I will. There's something in psychology, I kid you not, called the "what-the-hell" effect. Not as in the surprise ("What the hell?!"), but in the "who cares, I've killed my day already, I'm going to eat a whole pound cake myself." These are the two extremes that I'm going to work against. I don't want to physically harm myself for making a tiny McDonald's lapse. However, I don't want to overindulge for an entire day just because I had some queso cheese with my tortilla chips, either.

Also, it's been *really* hard not to weigh myself and measure myself. I can tell I'm making progress with my clothing, and that's what I'm going to stick to.

On the education front:
I had my first face-to-face with my Lit Classics class yesterday. It was pretty cool. I met a woman whose brother teaches French at a prep school in Chicago, and I heard back from him today (she let me e-mail him from her email address). My good friend, Meryl, is in the class. And we'll be reading about 6 books that I've read before. I'm hoping my writing won't be totally off, but the prof's expectations for the reading response papers are ... let's just say different. It's supposed to be mostly personal but also include textual evidence. Goodness, this goes against everything I believe when it comes to writing for a grade. I haven't had to stretch my writing skills this much since my Philosophy of Education class. Fingers crossed!

I'm going to miss you, cupcakes....

Okay, so I went mini-shopping yesterday. I needed something sweet ... even though I have low-fat sherbet in the freezer. I hadn't splurged on sweets since before I started working out on a near-daily basis, so I bought some cupcakes.

Oh my, what a horrible idea.

They don't taste as good as they used to. I don't know if I'm just not used to as much sugar as I was a month ago or what, but not only were they not as delicious as I remember, but they have made my stomach quite uneasy.

I still want a cupcake for my birthday, though.

The Amanda Show, Vol 1

One of my friends from SIUE and AST, Joi, posted this on her blog (see links to the left). It's a list of 100 things that were worth doing in your life and reflecting upon them. Here's the first installment of my list! And, these are in no particular order, just the order in which they "came to me."

100. At the age of six, watching my Grandma marry the only grandfather I ever knew, Charles.

99. Playing card games with my family on Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember.

98. Having a pencil sketch of mine mistaken for that of a friend I consider highly artistic.

97. Playing roles on stage in high school under the hot lights with pancake makeup slathered all over my face! Good times… I love to make-believe.

96. Marching in Harvard’s Milk Day Parade with the BHS band.

95. Riding Heather’s 4-wheeler for the first time … and freaking out after getting “stuck.” That was hhilarious.

94. Riding Dad’s 4-wheeler in Wisconsin … and “tapping” a little tree with it.

93. Going to New York with the drama group from high school. We saw a few Broadway shows and a site here or there.

92. Seeing my first musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with my Dad in Chicago. A love affair was born. Me and the musical theatre.

91. Getting my first paycheck! How grown-up did I feel, earning money at a burger joint!

90. Taking a plane for the first time in seventh grade to Washington, D.C.

89. Standing in my sister, Heather’s, wedding.

88. Traveling out of the country for the first time – France, summer 2003. It was such an amazing experience to be around such historic buildings!

87. Moving into my first *real* apartment. I paid rent, electric, and everything!

86. Adopting Jo. I went to the shelter with Heather, we opened her little cage, and she jumped into my arms, purring already! Plus, she was “on clearance!” What a steal ;)

85. My girls’ trip to Wisconsin Dells with Brandi and Mom. We ate junk food, took the boat tours, and enjoyed each other’s company!

84. Being offered positions at three different schools. This was bittersweet, but I felt affirmed as a teacher with potential! Plus, I had more options than I thought I would.

83. Attending the young writers’ workshop with other American high school students who shared an interest in being narcissistic. ;) I got a new perspective on myself as a writer.

82. Sitting on Grandma Patton/Larson’s lap and playing with her slender hands. I thought it was so cool that I could see and feel the bones in her hands. Thinking back on it now, she was a really patient woman to put up with that :)

81. Helping Mom in the garden at the house on Van Buren. I learned how to plant cucumbers really well in that huge garden.

80. Student teaching at DHS and getting to know the great kids in the French program and the supportive staff of the whole building!

79. Flying first class on my flight from London to Toronto. I felt fancy!

78. Voting for the first time in 2000. I felt like an adult and a part of something … even though my candidate didn’t win.

77. Helping Brandi move into Downer’s Grove from Chicago. Though it may have been exhausting, I loved helping her move from one stage of her life to another.

76. Learning how to crochet with my sisters. We all helped each other and we created some … interesting projects since then!

75. Working on puzzles in the porch with my dad. It may have hurt my back, but it was a relaxing bonding time :)

Thanks for the challenge, Joi! I think I will copy your format because it's getting late!

Not gonna do it!

I probably won't throw away my scale, but I'm going to weigh myself only ONE TIME per month. I've gained a lot of muscle from working out 6x/week, and I get all sorts of frustrated from not losing any "weight." I know I'm making progress because I feel great and my jeans are fitting looser, and I don't want to be unnecessarily disappointed because of a number. I'm eating a little smarter = salads for lunch, lots of water, and some serious protein post-workout. I'm hoping this will make my progress ... better? Does that sentence make sense?

Also, Dr. Ruth turned 80 on Today. That woman makes me want to hug the TV. The Talk Sex lady wasn't quite as lovable ... but I think it has to do with the accent and the height. No, I'm not superficial and silly...

the eventual new home

I'm watching game 4 of the finals (Stanley Cup) ... but I can't watch. I get too worked up and freaked out.

Anyway, I saw the condo again today to go over the minor details that were mentioned in the inspection. These are the things that I have to get in order to bring the condo up to MY standards ;)

• Washer/dryer (stackable). It's a condo that was originally an apartment, and I'll have to petition to the association because it's an alteration. I don't know how long that will take, but once it's approved, I'm running to Sears and grabbing one. Hopefully one that's dented because those mo-fos are PRICEY.
• New kitchen faucet (old and/or original from the 60's).
• New bathroom faucet (see above).
• New kitchen above-sink light fixture (it's crazy old school, and not in the quaint way)
• New range hood (see above ... it's not gross but its OLD looking, and I'm sure it is indeed old. I will have to consult Dad on this because there's alllll sorts of stuff involved that I'm ignorant about)
• New counter tops (this can wait til next summer ... especially if I'm going granite)
• New facing for cabinets, maybe one or two with mesh! (ditto on the waiting)
• Slipcover for recliner. I have to get this relatively soon because the fabric is wearing out and the duct tape is going to be needed soon! I like surefit.net -- anyone have other ideas?
  
• Slipcover for couch. Not so dire, I might be able to wait for the summer on this one too.

Seriously, if anyone knows the most reasonable places to find the above, please feel free to shower me with your brilliance! :)

Just one drink.

So last night Meryl and I saw Sex and the City. Loved it. It's amazing to see a movie like that on opening weekend because the energy is unbelievable. The theater wasn't packed completely full as I had imagined it would be (my friend and I sat in the front section and had plenty of empty seats around us), but there were a LOT of people (98% women, of course). The film answered lots of questions about the future of characters, etc. I'm mad because I fell for the desire to want to buy the whole series. You KNOW the series price skyrocketed upon the opening of the film. Anyway, I am not as excited as Meryl is about The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (who cares?) or Mamma Mia (but I do want to see it), but I'm curious to see The Women (Annette Bening with long hair? What?). I effing LOVE previews.

We had drinks afterwards at Rock Bottom (love it). The drinks were messed up because Meryl's cosmo barely had any alcohol in it, and I got a pomegranate cosmo instead of the pomegranate martini that I ordered. I didnt find out about the second thing until we got our bill, though. I think a lot of women did what Meryl and I did, and cosmos were likely the drink of the night. There were a handful of cute boys at the bar, which leads me to believe that they were there to check out the fabulous chicks who would be there downing cosmos and talking about sex. Well, that IS me and Meryl :)

Other stuff less fun
I'm set to move out of DeKalb on my birthday, the 29th. I was planning on moving the day (or two) before because I need the time to super-clean my room and other spaces like that, but Dave and Heather have a wedding to go to on Saturday, and I started thinking that Dave would be tired from Friday's work. I cannot move without Dave (or Bill ... but they're going to be in STL) because my couch is heavy. Right now I'm only lifting 5 pound weights. :) I'm a little nervous to get all that moving and cleaning done in one day, but I need to remember that we're only loading up the truck. I'm staying with Brandi for a little under a week while I wait for the closing of the condo, and then we'll all go down to Kankakee and empty the truck ... on July 5th.... If I weren't going to be in a class I would just spend the following week in bed watching old Friends episodes.

One other thing that's STILL up in the air is my little cat (not literally, haha!). I was planning on keeping her in a kennel, but that's just terribly expensive. $25/day, and I'll need her kept somewhere for 2 weeks. I don't have $350 to spend on my Jo, and I have a feeling I would have to sit down and explain her ridiculously sensitive feeding schedule. I e-mailed the fam to let them know the deal with the move(s), and I had a little side note for everyone. I asked my mom if Jo could stay at her place. I'm crossing my fingers because she and her husband played foster parents to her when I lived on Lucinda, and her husband got all out of sorts and said they'd never do that again. Mom's gone a lot during the week and jobless Scott (can you tell I don't like this man?) winds up getting attached (and takes care of the animals), so Mom has to ask him if it's okay. If he says no, I'm going to ask for her help paying for the kennel. I hate asking for money more than I hate asking for that kind of help. Obviously.

For my Francophone friends

Je surfais sur l'internet aujourd'hui et j'ai trouvé une photo d'une mannequine de Monoprix, un grand magasin français comme notre Target.

Elle a un petit problème, n'est pas?

Hiatus or sabbatical?

I'm not in class. I'm not working. Am I on hiatus, on sabbatical, or merely on break?

Anyhow, I was reading a few of my fabulous friends' blogs tonight and was thinking I should write an actual entry myself. I know things have been pretty narrow, what with the exercise and the condo-buying and all, but I'm going to try to branch out.

The Sex and the City movie's coming out this weekend, and I want to see it. Problem is, I just spent about $65 at Schnucks, and that leaves me with about $90 for the rest of the month. Which is okay, I guess, because this week is the last of the month... Money's stupid. Hopefully money won't be quite as stupid once I get my loan money for the summer. I talked to my mom - whose birthday is tomorrow (well, today) - and I explained to her that I'm channeling my gambling kick via cheap scratch tickets because I can't afford casinos right now. I didn't win anything. But it's better to spend $5 and win nothing than to spend $100 and win nothing. Right? I bring this up because summers are our opportunity go to Baraboo, WI. We stay at the casino and I make a mild attempt to hike at Devil's Lake. I so cannot afford that either, so we might do that next summer.

And that got me thinking about travel. I've still never stayed in Canada, with the exception of that layover in summer 2006. I would hate to only have first-hand Francophone experience with only France. I mean, I've never even been to New Orleans. Maybe that'll be my first summer stop. I have a meeting with the French teacher at the school, so I'll ask her how often French students are typically given the chance to go to La France. I'm also going to do some heavy duty research on French restaurants "near" my future city so that I can call that place and arrange a special lunch or something. I guess the current teacher will have some info on what the club has done, and I want to give the kids the same opportunities they have now, but also add some of my own.

Also, I got a manicure on Friday and the polish is all chipping. I want another and am totally hooked.

It's late. Off to bed.

oh really?

I just finished watching Lars and the Real Girl (wow, what a sweet movie...). I'm wearing my pj's, which means, no bra. Also hadn't put in my contacts yet. I get a knock on the door as I'm heading to the bathroom. I assumed it was UPS or something.

NOPE!

some guy in a suit and two people. They're here to look at the apartment! "Didn't you get the notice?"

Ummmmm, no. I SO would at least be dressed right now.

Oh well. At least I wasn't working out yet.

at the five yard line!

I finally accepted a counteroffer from the seller, and now it's just a matter of closing. I'm unable to do so until the last day of June. However, I'm screwed royally if the seller backs out; however, it's come to my and my agent's attention that she had her eye on a home to purchase, so she really wanted to sell her condo.

So now it's a matter of getting everything organized: I might beg my mom to keep my cat for a couple weeks while I stay at my sister's and move into the condo. I have to make sure I have enough money to pay for my half of the warranty -- if anything goes wrong (well, lets face it, not "anything") withing like 9-12 months of the closing date, it's covered. Sweet. I also have to look into petitioning the association to install a stackable w/d unit. The I need to purchase and install said unit ... it'd be nice if I could get that all taken care of by the first day of school, but I guess we'll see. Maybe I could buy one around Christmas for a decent price....

Okay, I know this is horrible to read, but it's almost all that's on my mind right now ... eeek!

Quick, sweaty note

I just got back from the gym. I stretched a little. I did the elliptical for about 5 minutes. I did the stationary bike WITH FREE WEIGHTS (I felt pretty badass). I tried to do another cool bike with a pacing screen, but I'm too short. Seriously, the height and seat were adjusted as much as possible, and I couldn't complete the stride ... without excessive use of momentum. Then I went to the track and almost ran a whole lap. I really love my ipod because the music helps keep me pumped. Finally, I went back into the "room" and cooled down, using a lot of the "yoga" moves from my DVDs. I felt kinda stupid. Then I walked home.

I still have lots of energy, so today's gonna be a double.

*home deal news* it turns out that there is a precedent of owners in this condo complex installing washer/dryers. So I'm gonna keep going and give the seller my counteroffer this afternoon. Bad thing is, stacking w/d units run over $1,000. But theyre pretty cool.

kicking it up a notch....

Okay, so ever since May 12 I've been working out 6 days a week (my rest day is Saturday). The first two days, I did double workouts, but those were the only days. I do at least 50 minutes of "circuit training with cardio" ... but if I go to the gym I'll try to battle the elliptical machine as long as I can stand after walking to the gym. It's not a long walk.

I have lost ONE measly pound and an inch here or there. I haven't really been eating very healthily, but I've been under the bar as far as how many calories to intake. This is according to thedailyplate.com, and I do log my activity. However, I don't think that's going to cut it. I know, I know, it takes time, but I should have lost either more inches or more weight by now. So, I'm going to be smarter about what I'm eating. Which sucks, because I love crappy and/or indulgent food.

I bought some cute (but pricey) running shoes on Monday, but I have to return them today because they're just too big. Also stinks because they were the only wide width running shoe I could find in a store. Nike Pegasus. However, I found a smaller size online, and hopefully it won't hurt to wear the non-wide-width ones. We'll see. While I'm waiting to get those in the mail, I'll be using my newer generic ones from wal-mart. booo. Theyre too tight.

And as far as the condo thing goes, we're in the offer, counter-offer phase, still. The seller is being stubborn because she has to pay the closing costs, etc, and I'm being stubborn because I think it's crazy that there's no washer-dryer hookups. I asked my realtor to do some research for me to see if I can rig something up and install my own stacking w/d. Apparently the challenge will be the vents necessary for the dryer.... If the seller doesnt budge, I might take a closer look at another condo that just went up for sale that needs quite the TLC. It needs new carpeting, paint, new cabinets (small kitchen), and new flooring in the kitchen (vinyl should be fine). Dad's thinking he might try to co-sign with me if our attention needs to be drawn to the TLC condo because that way we can close earlier and get work done by the time I move out of DK.

One thing must be said: it's a darn good thing my class hasn't started yet. I'm already stressed out enough as it is! :)

Thanks for reading....

Meanwhile, at the gym...

Oh my goodness, people. Amanda worked out today. Twice.

I turned in my 333 paper and made ELEVEN copies of my 48-page unit (while irritating just about every person in the library computer lab, I'm certain). I was going to go to the rec after that... but I was dragging. My Special K Red Berries breakfast was dwindling fast because I walked to campus. Neha kept me company while I chowed down a sub at the HSC 'way (Subway) ... then I walked to the gym (=rec).

I'm usually pretty apprehensive about the gym. The weight room is exclusively testosterone-y (though not mandated as such), and the weight machines in the cardio room seem to be likewise man-handled (haha). However, I have learned to STRETCH before doing anything else, and this has helped me be able to stay at the gym for more than 30 minutes. That and my iPod, of course. Then, I attempt the elliptical machines (which have it "out for me" -- they kill me after about 5 minutes) and then succumb to the stationary bikes. Now, I like the bikes. I get some good mileage in a short time, and I like being able to say "I biked 5 miles today." But I hardly burn any calories. That's what the 6 minutes on the elliptical is for, I suppose. Then I walked around the track. I was in a pretty good state; I even RAN. But uh-oh. Manda doesn't have a sports bra. Yep, I couldn't run because of the chest. How much does that suck? So I went online and just purchased an Enell sports bra. It's supposed to be pretty TQ: Oprah endorsed it. I'll let you guys know if I'm able to run once I finally get it; my size is on back order. Every color.

I also decided that I would stretch this burst of energy as far as it would go -- I also did a 50-minute workout at home. Hopefully I will be able to walk tomorrow! :)

Mother's Day

Hey kids!

I hope everyone had a serene Mother's Day. I was staying at Heather and Dave's place in Shirland, and I had pretty much just watched them tear up their front lawn in order to create some pretty awesome landscaping. I tried to help, but I'm a weakling. If I'm getting dirty but it's not on an ATV, it's really just not worth the soreness and dirt, you know?

Anyway, we were planning on taking our mom to a later lunch (2-ish), and Brandi had to cancel because of impending storms in Rockford, which never showed. But Heather and I went to The Machine Shed (sigh with the big greasy food) with Mom and bought her and ourselves lunch. It was crowded and crazy. The crappy brunch buffet was ridiculous (small selection but pretty pricey), so we just ordered our own meals. We were the smallest table there; people had pushed tables together for parties of about 16, and there we were, three of us.

I didn't call my step-mom because I really wasn't in the mood to talk to her by the time I got home. It's awful, I know, but sometimes my fam is too messed up to acknowledge. I have some great, free therapists: my sisters and my roommate!

So I found out that I can put down a minimum down payment of 3% (I think) and still get my "okay" rate. When I went to Chase to deposit my coin (sad story ... I have to save save save), I saw that their home loans are 1% lower than the one I got. However, they were going to charge me almost $400 just to apply for the loan.... Ugh, whatever!

Jo is testing me this morning by whining a LOT. She wants to see if she can get attention by "talking" again, maybe because I was gone this weekend. I'm wondering if shutting the door on her would still constitute attention....

As some of you may have noticed on facebook, I'm considering getting a dog ... pretty much just because I can in the hypothetical new place (I haven't put in an offer yet).. However, I know that a puppy or dog is a lot of work, so I might wait until next year so that I can devote the whole summer to training and getting to know a new animal. I'll probably adopt a small adult dog like a dachshund or something. But, like I said, probably not until the start of next summer.

Any extra money you got lying around?

So this "buying a condo" thing is costing me some serious cash before I even put an offer on the thing. I paid $350 to lock in a (FIXED) mortgage rate of 6.409% (max it can be at closing). This "lock" is selective because if the rates go down, I can get the lower rate. I'm thinking rates will go down, but I'm no market analyst and don't want to take the chance. And I'm certainly not taking the chance on any variable rate.

I also talked to my "realtor" -- I technically have not hired him because I haven't sign a contract yet -- and he said that earnest money is typically $1,000. I considered typing that as "$1K," but the zeros have a definite impact. I don't know if I can come up with that. I worked on my budget after I talked to Dad last night, and I think I can scrounge up like $900 with subbing, etc, and then maybe borrow the extra $100 from my mom... and still be okay for June. However, I am getting a student loan for this summer, so maybe there'll be $100 in there I can move to the earnest money fund... If something goes wrong that's not my fault, I can get the money back, but then I'll be looking for a place to live come June 30th... I have a feeling my 26th birthday is going to suck!

The other crisis of purchasing a home is, of course, the down payment. My dad, good man that he is, offered to loan me a 10% down payment ... however, I might call my mortgage guy and ask how much it would suck if my earnest money was my down payment or if that's at all possible. I already owe my dad some money, and I would rather not double it.

Some stuff that I still have to get to the mortgage dude is a statement/document from Sallie Mae telling them how much my monthly payments will be, approximately. I place to consolidate all the individual private loans I've taken through them as well as the federal loans, so I'll actually have TWO checks to send Sallie Mae and ONE check to send ACS (SIUe federal loans). It's going to be a mess when I have to start paying these people back, let me tell you, so I'm going to arrange something with Sallie Mae so I can pay the big loans back on a GRADUAL scale.

I'll be checking out the place again next Friday because I'm going to the HS to go over materials with the current teacher. I'm glad I'll get to talk with her again because I'd like to know where the FR1, Fr2, and Fr3 students are as far as ability level. I know I should set the expectations high, and I will, but I want to know what their expectations are right now, I guess.

**ALSO** I got some excellent news last Tuesday! I got an A- and, therefore, don't have to revise my Unit Plan project! This means I can slow down and revise my paper for my other class. However, I DO have to reprint the unit (75 pages) and make TEN copies of it for my colleagues in this class. Whine :-( Bye bye, money. It was nice seeing you in my bank account before giving you away.

Pre-approval? Mortgages?

This is ridiculous. I want to get pre-approved on a mortgage on a Sunday. My own bank will charge me $395. The "residential brokerage" won't. But I cannot apply for pre-approval with the brokerage today, so I'm filling out the info with my bank to find out if I can get the rate. I figure if the bank can give me a better rate, it'd be worth the $395 in the long run. But if I cant get the decent rate, I'll go with the brokerage.

This is such a pain.

Stuff you might not have known about me

Okay, so here's the thing. I never get comments. Well, usually. I know I have some faithful readers who just don't comment. So I'm going to give you guys a reason to comment.

Because I'm not as smart as you guys think.

I.....

• .. often confuse Billy Idol and Billy Joel. I think this has to do with the fact that they have the same first name and their "last" makes have TWO of the same letters.
• .. watch entirely too much television. However, if you read my entertainment blog (www.mavieencouleur.blogspot.com), you know this.
• .. don't know how to handle the idea of BUYING property. I think I might have 2 real estate agents. I'm smart enough to know that this could get tricky.
• .. play video games. This is harder than you would think because I'm a woman and I don't like war and too much violence. I like The Godfather game (PS2) and The DaVinci Code (also PS2), but it's typically VERY difficult to find games that a girl could enjoy. I think the Wii might have more gender-neutral games, though. I don't have TOO much experience with the Wii, though.
• .. have very little willpower. I'm keeping track of my calories and and trying to exercise, but I would rather watch VH1. I went grocery shopping today and bought lots of fruits and veggies ... and then I went to Wendy's on my way home.
• I'm not good with money. No, wait, I'll rephrase, I'm not good with MY money. I could give you a handful of "reasons," but I'm almost 26. This might just be an extension of the previous
  

Is this growing up?

I got a call from my dad today. He's being as helpful as can be with this whole wretched apartment search. He said he started looking at duplexes, and then he found some houses that i might be able to afford. TO BUY.

Is it possible? Can I buy a house?

Yikes, this is scary, folks.

Kitty Behavior Modification

Okay, so here's the thing: my cat's a whiner. She woke me up at 5:30 this morning wanting to be fed. I picked her up and put her outside my room. This continued until I fed her at 7:45.

It's ridiculous. It puts my mood in a horrible set for the rest of the day because I'm not getting steady sleep.

And she's a talker anyway. It's not a big deal, but it is when she won't. shut. up.

So I looked up cat behavior, and I have to start pouring on the encouragement when she's being quiet and ignoring her when shes yapping away. This is tough because, well shes picky. Sometimes she wants to be left alone. This experiment will be interesting and I'll have to share it with Shawna, my roommate.

**Update**
This morning (4/25) I woke up and Jolie was sitting quietly at the foot of the bed. Success! I couldn't have done it without Shawna! And the treats I gave kitty randomly when she was being quiet..... But yay!

Car show ... ness

Okay, so I know I have more important things to do than blog right now, and if I accidentally sent my blog email to my professors and they're lame enough too look here (just kidding! thank you for taking an interest in my life!), I'm in big time trouble ... BUT ...

I check yahoo every few hours to see what's there to distract me, and apparently there was a car show in Beijing recently.

No, I don't give two ***ts about cars; I want to go from point A to point B without Mobile acquiring my entire MasterCard credit.

But I do like pretty cars. So I checked out the article that went along with the little blurb .. and then I went straight to the slideshow because nothing in the article interested me.

And here is my minuscule rant:
WHAT is the deal with car show models? I mean, they're pretty, whatever, butI think they need some better training. Call up Drew Carey and model some $3.09 whole wheat pasta for a few years before they put you in front of a car (that your outfit MATCHES. really.). Maybe it was just a poor shot, but these models? Ugh.

My "secret(s)"

Okay, so you all know I have no secrets because of my above-average-sized mouth. But seriously, here are a few pet peeves that I will SELDOM voice in public:

• I think it's really pathetic when people post their kid's (or kids') picture on their facebook or myspace profile. I mean, is that how you define yourself? Because if my parents are doing that, they're up for some serious disappointment. Let your kids define themselves when they have the ability. Don't START THEIR BLOG FOR THEM at TWO YEARS OLD. That's just plain wrong.
• BUT I don't feel the same way about people and their pets. Well, at least the part about posting the picture. For obvious reasons. My cat is beautiful.
  
• If you get a message from someone asking for information about your apartment, CALL HER BACK. She will have money, I swear!
• I have no place to live for the end of June. I'm not freaking out ... yet.
  

Here?!

So apparently there was an earthquake. I was sleeping. And aftershocks? No clue. I can't believe I "missed" it!

A Midwesterner's yearly sickess...

Perhaps this occurs in other regions of this great country, but I see a frightening epidemic that I would like to call Midwesterner's Disease. or Syndrome. Yeah, Syndrome's better.

Symptoms: happy for seemingly no reason whatsoever, desire to "just sit" outside, compulsion to show excessive amounts of pasty and unshaven skin, incessant need to use the word "gorgeous" in conjunction with the other "weather." 3 or 4 criteria necessary for diagnosis. No known cure, but seems to dissipate in 3-6 months on its own.

That's right, spring has unofficially sprung (apparently it was back on March 20th. You'd never know because it SNOWED a couple days ago for about 3 minutes). People are happy because they can wear shorts, but they have forgotten that there's no "going green" code against shaving. Ladies, I'm talking to you. Guys... I just don't know.

I really hope this lasts. I just bought a couple cute shirts that have short sleeves and the thought of sporting them underneath a coat kinda makes me want to weep.

Really?!

Okay, so I have a lot of work to get done for tomorrow, but I also have to find a place to live for June. So I opened up my neat little portfolio and started calling landlords for info. Now, let me set you guys up for this: a week and a half ago, I drove to Bradley (1 hour and 45 minutes away) and rode around with a very nice real estate guy who's a member of the school board. I was fine then. But I'm starting to melt. down.

I wrote down 8 numbers on that day and called them all today. Four went to voicemail. One guy said all his apartments are now taken. Another said there were no one-bedrooms. One chick said to call her back in two weeks. And then another lady said she has one one-bedroom apt, but it's empty now, and she's going to have it filled by the next person who has payment. Everyone was really nice, but I'm just waiting for the other four to call back and say NO. So I went online to the local paper's website and started calling those people. more to voicemail. I got one lady on her cell, I think, and she gave me all the information. So I had to ask about the "no pets" thing, because a lot of places are willing bend the rules for an additional security deposit. She sounded REALLY irritated when I asked, so I said "Thanks for your time; have a good day."

I really need to afford a 2 bedroom, because apparently that's all that's out there! If I didn't have these blasted student loans, I'd be okay.

A week

Okay, kiddies. This is going to be a blistering week from Egypt. Please don't expect anything fabulous from me for at least 7 days. Except maybe the occasional one-line entry, begging for the power to freeze time. Man, that'd be awesome.

What could DeKalb use?

I went to Schnucks today because I didn't feel like driving all the way to Jewel, and there's still an empty building next door. I wonder if anyone's rented it yet.

But that got me to thinking....
If I were renting it, what business would flourish? this is quite near the 88 tollway entrance/exit...

Translation service? (there are several Spanish-speaking families in the area)
Tutoring Service? (I think there might already be two)
Non-starbucks, non carabou coffee shop? (might be a good, but theres a bucks at the oasis)

Any DeKalbers have any ideas? Just for conversation's sake. I have no money (or credit) for such an endeavor in reality.

Not quite an outrage... BUT

Pre-blog side note: I hate the fact that I have to buy my own perfume. I'm 25. Men should be buying me perfume. But frankly, I'm not as picky about anything as I am about perfume. So I guess this works out in some freakish way.

So I ordered some beautifully smelling perfume last week (narciso rodriguez for her (eau de toilette), which I discovered via samples from Sephora), and I got it from UPS today. I was wondering if it was indeed just the perfume because the box it came it was HUGE. I thought maybe I got some special gifts for being a new customer... nope, just those old-school packing peanuts (not the biodegradable ones, tsk tsk) and a teeny tiny sample of another kind of perfume.

Granted, I didn't pay shipping, so I shouldn't be picky. However, you'd think that a 1.6 oz perfume bottle could be shipped in something SMALLER than a double-wide breadbox.

Can you find the quote's error?

Yeah, I've had a bad couple of days with WW ... and things in general, and Mumo suggested this book that she's read. This is what Amazon.com has as a review. Find the error, little ones!

From Publishers Weekly
Fitness guru Michaels, a fitness and life coach who has appeared on NBC's The Biggest Loser, brings her tough-love style to the pages of her first offering. For those familiar with Loser, Michael's no-excuses approach here may seem less intimidating than it does to those meeting her on television. She writes with an edge, warning readers that they cannot make excuses, they will work hard and they will suffer setbacks, but they will also change their lives for the better. Her "3-S" (Self, Science and Sweat) plan covers the mental and physical, and Michaels dedicates equal sections of the book to each. In Self, she announces to readers that she was an "overweight and unhappy teenager" who took charge of her life, challenging readers to do the same. While no book has the power to change a person, the tips Michaels provides-create a support system, keep a journal, change your self-talk-do. In Science, Michaels dispels common diet myths (skipping meals is best, diet pills work), provides recipes for meals and snacks and introduces the concept of fast-, slow- and balanced-oxidizers, which determines a person's ideal diet. The final Sweat chapters include easy-to-follow exercises accompanied by photos, and a five-day-per-week, 12-week fitness program centered on burn-and-tone cardio training. The book and coaching come relatively cheap, but to follow the program without substitution exercises, readers will need access to a gym or a weight machine. And, unfortunately, Michaels does not make house calls.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Publisher's Weekly
"While no book has the power to change a person, the tips Michaels provides...do." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

for crying out loud...

Okay, so I have yet another rant for my lovely readers.

Do I have a sign on my forehead that says "I am a therapist, please unload allll your problems on me whenever necessary"? NO. Do I give any indication that I'm always awake during ALL hours of the day? NO.

My dear friends, unless I have an eerily close connection with you (only about five people qualify, not including family) or you are in danger, etc, please let me sleep. I may be nice while I'm talking to you or texting you, but I get pissed about it in the morning. Or, you can write me a REALLLLLY long email, and I promise you I'll call you when I have had -- oh, I don't know -- more than two hours worth of sleep.

There IS a difference between being a good friend a being a doormat, right?

The next thing...

• I started Weight Watchers on Monday, and so far I've been good. I ate a pizza (yes A PIZZA... j'avais un faim de loup!) on Monday, and thanks to this "flex points" thing, I'm still good for the week. I haven't been eating much bread, but i have been eating a LOT because even if i have a huge subway salad for lunch, my metabolism must be raging because I'll be hungry 2 hours later.
• My other blog, my review one, is back up for you guys to peruse and comment on. There's not much there yet because I'm waiting to write again on Saturday.
• I'm going into Bradley again to look at apartments with a member of the board. He knows the area well and can give me tips on good neighborhoods, etc. Lots of people have asked me if I'm going to rent of buy, and I think thats really sweet that my friends think I have the ability to purchase a house. Not for AT LEAST another year.
• Reading As I Lay Dying (Faulkner) and am very happy that I'm doing so in a class. I would have thrown this book out the window if I didn't have to read it for class. Any Faulkner fans out there? I have acquired the ability to appreciate the uniqueness and innovation in his writing... but it ends there, I think.

So kids, I have a stack of papers waiting to be writing (the stack is in my brain, I guess), but I'l try to keep everyone as up-to-date as I can as far as my living situation goes :)

Some things I love

I read my last post and decided that it was a little negative. I really don't want to look like a pessimistic jerk, so I'm taking this opportunity to write about some things I like, and some things I loooove.

• I love research. Although it sometimes wears on my brain, I adore going through records and finding out what people have written about, sometimes the most random topics.
  
• Love, love, love foreign language. I consider myself a novice, even though I have a degree in French and will be teaching it come August. But I would like to re-learn German and take up Italian. Has anyone used Rosetta Stone? I will eventually cave in and learn Spanish. I think I've avoided it because it doesn't seem all that foreign in this country... I may not understand it, but still.
• like to travel.... I resist the word loooove because I get a tad bit stressed. I haven't created a list of where I would like to travel because of the fact that I'll immediately become depressed because I know I would need to live 3 lifetimes to travel everywhere!
  
• Love the fam. I never imagined I would ever be as close as I am to my sisters. It's great. They know a lot about me, and we actually ENJOY spending time together. My Dad is the reason I can't find a good man; no one measures up! And my mom... well, that'll be another post. But I love her, of course.
• Audio-visual entertainment.... AKA film and television. If you all could view my other blog... yeah, you'd have ample evidence for that.
  
• Photography. I have no talent for it, but I really appreciate those who do.