The 25th Hour

I've Moved!

2007-07-26T14:26:00.002-04:00

Please check out the new site for my blog at http://karenjcardoza.com Hope to see you there!

If you're looking for my Book Nook.... Head directly over to http://karenjcardoza.com/booknook

Home Stretch...

2007-07-26T08:07:00.001-04:00

Well... it's almost here. Patriots Training Camp is literally 24 hours away and I can finally say that I'm truly excited about its arrival (already). I'm starting to get that "wooohooo" feeling that only camp brings!

I'm bouncing off the walls right now because I've still got tons to do in terms of technical stuff to be ready though. Why I'm in this situation right up to the last minute is typical.... Time just flew this summer and things take time. I swore I wouldn't let myself get behind the 8 Ball but life just happens some times. Plus, I'm usually great in the clutch and actually got more done this week getting new sites up to snuff than in weeks past.

Unfortunately, I'm waiting for the internets to cooperate and didn't allow for "glitch time". Today is THE last opportunity to get things done and I'm sooo there, just hoping that things beyond my control don't crop up and shoot me down.

Time for more coffee... and perhaps some blasting Black Lab to help me through.

Technorati Tags: patriots training+camp mrsb patriotworld

Weekend Update

2007-07-24T10:20:00.001-04:00

Seems like it's been forever since my last post and yes, I've had quite a busy time of it since. I spent Thursday and Friday at the PECS training which cut my time at home short. I did get my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as soon as it was released! My initial plan was to hit up BJ's when it opened on Saturday morning but someone mentioned going to Stop and Shop at midnight (rather than Borders) to avoid the crowd. Lo and behold, I was in line at 11:54 and was HOME by 12:15! Rather than jump right in though, I chose to re-read the last 5 chapters of book 6 to get up to snuff. As of right now I'm up to chapter 12 (and I know that friends are dying to discuss it with me but I've been swamped and haven't had much time to read... I'm trying!)

On Saturday, Kelsea and I took the train to Boston to deliver a sewing machine to a friend who needed to borrow it. There were plenty of HP7's to be seen that day for sure. We met up with Kroosh and Whitney, had lunch and spent a couple of hours talking New Media and enjoying each others' company. Saturday night was all about Bella and trying to squeeze in some reading.

On Sunday, Al and I went with MJ and Louie on the Bay Queen for a brunch cruise to Newport. None of us had ever been on it before and had a great time. The weather couldn't have been more perfect that's for sure. I was so hot walking around the shops that I decided to look for a pair of shorts.. I found a pair of striped Bermudas in my size but a look at the price tag of $168 and I decided that sweating in long pants wasn't that bad after all!

Al's anxiously awaiting the return of his boat from the repair shop (took in for an initial tune up, etc.) and wants to give it a whirl (or two) before carting it up to New Hampshire in August. My life has been all about Bella, trying to get technical stuff done on the websites and blogs in anticipation of Training Camp starting this Friday, and doing physical therapy for my back. (Of course, the usual MommyCab and Cinderella duties never cease and are just part of everyday life.)

Unfortunately, Bella is going to need surgery to repair her Cherry Eye and her consult is next week. I'm worried about the timing of surgery because of our vacation but I'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. She's doing well except for her backslide with the housebreaking. She goes every time we head out (multiple times) but still pees on the floor whenever she wants. She was doing pretty well with going out on a schedule, every time she woke up and after eating and play but I guess I loosened the reins too soon on the amount of area in the house that she's got access to that now she's peeing all over my parlor. Ironically, even if she goes out and pees outside, she'll still do the "big one" in the house within a few minutes. Time for me to go back to square one and not give her opportunity to make that mistake. But for now... pure bliss....

Technorati Tags: Bella puppy "Bay Queen" boat "Harry Potter"

Please... NO Harry Potter Spoilers!

2007-07-18T12:11:00.001-04:00

The challenge is on.. the challenge of NOT stumbling upon any Harry Potter spoilers posted online before I get a chance to read the final book in J K Rowlings series. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would WANT to know what happens in the end. I know that there are tons of spoilers out there and I just don't want to be duped by some bully who just wants to rain on my parade. Maybe you have to be a Harry Potter fan to understand or maybe you just have to be a "reader".

Long before I was a Pats fan, or there was even such a thing as "New Media" to be hooked on I was book lover. I've been an avid reader ever since I started to read. I could never wait for the Book Fair at school and still look fondly at some of the books that I purchased way back in the 70's as they are now on my school bookshelf with Karen T. scrolled in them in oversized manuscript.

As I progressed from simple picture books to chapter books, I was often told by my mother to "Go outside and play" because I'd read for hours and hours getting caught up in the entire Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, or Happy Hollisters mystery series. Of course, you can't forget my all time favorite Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. (I've been a sucker for series and sequels ever since and take ownership of them; it's like visiting an old friend every time you meet a familiar character or recognize a familiar place.)

As a teen, I read all of the best sellers and was never without a paperback in my hand or pocketbook. I perfected the art of Walk and Read... making my trek back and forth to school and in the halls reading as I went along. My reading passion continued right through to adulthood although other obligations (family, work, house) and past times (Patriots, music, new media) have cut into my reading time considerably.

Even now, once I find authors I like, I read everything by them and keep an eye out for each new release and grab it as it comes out. Of course, I've read the entire catalogs of James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, the Oprah Book Club books, most best sellers, and tons and tons of "chick lit" in addition to so much more. I've also read a lot of Young Adult fiction, covering the Newbery Medal Award Winners and naturally... Harry Potter!

I jumped on board right from the get-go and have picked up each new book on its release date. Nothing beats the day that I stopped at BJ's all dressed up on my way to my nephew's wedding to scoff up book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

So.... I'm being extra cautious this week with my online time and really being cognizant of links that I click so that I won't stumble upon something that will disclose what will happen. The whole point of reading is to make a connection and take that ride with the characters. I want to feel and experience the events as they are happening. Nothing beats a heart-pounding , page turning story (besides a heart-wrenching, tears streaming one) for me and I definitely don't want to know where I'm going before I get there. That will be a total rip-off!

I've got a PECS training for the next two days and I won't be online much so I'll be relatively safe as long as I don't get tricked into clicking something not clearly marked. Once I get my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I'll be holed up with nose to the page devouring it and savoring it until the very last page has been turned. Then I can shed a tear because it's over and talk about it freely.

Harry+Potter reading spoilers

Health Updates

2007-07-17T14:25:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on the two patients. I took Bella back to the vet yesterday for an eye check and they said that they just want to continue with the ointment for awhile and not think about surgery yet. The cherry eye is still protruding and has been since Saturday afternoon. I’m hoping and praying that it goes down and trying to remain optimistic although most of what I’ve read online is not promising. The doctor did tell me that although it looks painful, she’s not in any pain which did make me feel some relief. So, we’re continuing on and hoping for the best.

I just got back from the doctor and my back is making progress. It’s not there yet and I still can’t run but it’s getting better. I’ve been taking Bella for little short (100 yard) walks to ease her into walking on a leash. She’s getting there and hopefully will be able to increase her distance each day.

I was actually able to get a podcast done this morning while she slept which was a big relief. Camp starts next Friday so time is flying by. I’m slowly working on my blog stuff and hope to get it done (please cooperate, Bella!) before next Friday.

Btw….even Bella is jumping into the Social Media scene…hehehe!

Puppy Update... eyes, leashes, and burning the midnight oil

2007-07-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

Sigh... Bella's eye went back to normal the night we got home from the vet after an evening nap. (It seems that when she's asleep, the eye relaxes and the eyelid flips back over.... either that or that REM action helps it along.) Around 4:00 on Saturday, she was playing in her basket and rubbed her face against it popping it back out. Unfortunately, it's been over a day and a half and it's still protruding. Things are not looking good on that front and I'm very sad about the possibility of surgery.

Every day is a new one and each day presents new accomplishments and challenges. The little porker is now 3.3 pounds so she finally fits in a harness without being able to tuck her chin down to chew it. So, we've begun our venture into leash work. That itself presents a new set of behaviors to learn. Once she learns that the leash is NOT a tug-of-war toy, things will be better. She's resistant to go to the bathroom on the leash and instead flips her body around and tries to chew it. Nigel did the same thing at first and got over it. I'm trying to not let her out in the front without being on the leash so she'll learn that it's that or nothing. She loves to be outside but at night, it's especially dangerous to be loose. When she gets in that hyper mode, she runs around at super-speed and I can barely catch her. I'll continue to let her off leash in the side and back yards (fenced in) but front yard now is leash territory.

She's also starting to venture back into the parlor area again instead of staying near the kitchen table area which makes it tougher for me to get anything done on the computer because I have to constantly get up and bring her back where I can see her. The potential for peeing indoors is too great over there, not to mention the ability to slip under the couch. We don't want to go there again!

She's also been REALLY hyper in the evenings and is very mouthy and nippy. The other night I was outside with her at 1:30 in the morning because she'd bark every time I put her in her crate. She wanted to be up running around and playing. I couldn't even keep her on my lap for "quiet time" because she'd nip at me and try to wiggle out of my arms. I kept bringing her outside in case the barking was due to needing to go to the bathroom. She didn't.. instead she took the opportunity to bite the leash and try to get me to pull it. She was spinning around like a wild woman. I couldn't drop the leash and let her run off in the dark and I couldn't get her to calm down either. So, it was back to the crate, hoping for the best (that she didn't really have to go) and tuning out her barking until she fell asleep. Needless to say, a let a few choice words fly and I was not too pleased with this late night habit. Two nights in a row, she was out of control at night and didn't want to go to bed.

Then... there are times when she's so cuddly and kissy... my favorite Bella! It's always an adventure that's for sure. And, just so there's no mistaking it: I love that little girl sooo much!

Technorati Tags: Bella, puppy, Chihuhua, Puppy+Tales, Cherry+Eye, leash

Slow and Steady.... Roller Coaster Ride

2007-07-14T17:49:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time online lately because I've been busy with Bella but I did pick some themes for my blogs. I'm just waiting on some artwork from a friend and a whole redesign of this one when Nico can get to it. Time is running out before Training Camp starts so I really don't have much time to finish up the "geek stuff".

I had to cancel my Friday trip to Block Island for some fun in the sun and music because of the pain that I've been having for quite some time after running. ... It was so bad this week that I could barely walk. I was able to get an appointment with the doctor and he said that it was all due to my back being misaligned and my pelvis being completely locked up. He did an adjustment, gave me some PT exercises to do and told me not to run until after I was completely healed. I see him again next week.

Bella's been doing well but has me in tears the past couple of days. The other night, I put her in her crate when I went pick Jake up from a friend's house and when I got home, there was something wrong with her eye. She apparently had been rubbing it or scratched it with her paw and the 3rd eyelid was sticking out. Naturally, I Googled and to my horror, started reading about Cherry Eye. Hoping for the best and that I was just over-reacting, I snuggled with her most of that night but couldn't stop crying. She awoke back to normal so I was relieved.

Yesterday, (Friday) in the afternoon, she kept rubbing her eye with her paw and also rubbing her face in the grass. Sure enough, it popped out again. I called the vet and they took us right in. She looked at her and said that it was the start of cherry eye and that her eyes were irritated and had the start of an infection so that's probably why she was rubbing it. She prescribed an antibiotic/steroid ointment for me to put in twice a day. She said that it was the first step to clear the infection and hopefully strengthen the cartilage of the 3rd eyelid to prevent it from flipping over again. I administered the ointment.. (that was fun...NOT) and she napped on me for about 45 minutes. When she woke up, the eye was back to normal.

Today, it was fine until around 4:00 when she was rubbing it against the side of her little play bed and sure enough, it happened again. As of right now, 9:00, it's still protruding... sigh... I feel so bad and I'm praying that it not only pops back in but it also heals and strengthens so that it doesn't continue to happen and require surgery. Even the results of surgery are iffy according to the vet.

So, the rollercoaster ride is on taking me from happiness, to sadness, to relief and back again. As a good friend so wisely said the other day... "Welcome to parenthood."

Technorati Tags: Bella puppy Chihuahua Cherry+Eye

Making Progress

2007-07-11T09:18:00.000-04:00

So, things are moving right along. I was able to successfully transfer everything to BlueHost and have cancelled my account with my old host. Setting up the add on domain worked out perfectly as well. Yesterday, i finally made a decision on the wordpress theme for the Patriots Podcast blog and am waiting for a banner from a friend before going live with it... Today, I hope to make a final decision and install the theme for the Training Camp report blog.

On the puppy front, Bella is doing very well. I'm still having to keep my eyes peeled EVERY waking moment but I successfully trained her to Come when called and to Sit. These are major milestones and will make both of our lives so much better! I'm using Science Diet Training Treats and she's so small that I literally break off a tiny piece at a time and one or two discs can last me all day.

She's been spending most of her time with the "pen" gate disabled and has been fine. The reason for this was a possibly tragic accident that turned out to have good results. From day one, I've been shooing her away from the couch because she likes to go underneath it. There are wires under there and more importantly, it opens to the stairway landing. I've spent most of the last two weeks policing her away from there.

The other night, she was very fired up and was running around at full speed, charged under the couch and to my horror, went through and fell off the other side. It was like slow motion... I was shrieking her name as she flipped through the air and landed with a thud. I was frantic and burst into tears, ran down to pick her up and held her close while she shook and whimpered. I was a wreck and was so worried that she had hurt herself. I checked her out thoroughly and held her all night while I read in case she showed any signs of distress. Thankfully, everything was fine.

The end result of the accident has been a "lesson learned". She has not even gone NEAR the couch and has pretty much stayed out of that part of the room since. She now stays around and under the kitchen table and right by my side. She'll also run up and down the hall but comes when called and sits right here waiting for a treat. Life is good :-)Technorati Bella puppy chihuahua training BlueHost Puppy+Tales

Website and Puppy Tales

2007-07-06T21:16:00.000-04:00

Time already seems to be flying, having the 4th come and go. We had a last minute cook-out and although the weather wasn't hot, it was comfortable enough and the rain held off until the evening hours.

I made a decision this week and moved my website to Bluehost. (As of this posting, I'm waiting for the propegation of the nameservers so it's down.) I had to go through major gyrations to get my old host to release the domain name so that I could renew it at GoDaddy. It's finally done as of today. I've also been playing around and learning how to install some wordpress blogs on my domain but the education started from ground zero. Although I've had a website for 5 years, using Frontpage allows you to do it without really knowing anything! I've never had to deal with FTP and directories and such. Special thanks to patient friends who have been available to get me on my way... and also here's to perseverance and google when I needed to figure some things out for myself.

It's been really difficult getting much done because Bella is quite active and I need to be with her most of her waking hours. It's much like having an infant; I only get things done when she's napping. More puppy tale updates to follow, but in short, she specifically has a hyper/nippy time after dinner which lasts for a couple of hours... (sort of the equivalent of those after-dinner colicky babies.) She gets all riled up and wants to play rough. She also will run at super high speed after a ball with ears flapping in the wind...hehe..

I can't wait until she can start going for walks... I'd love to tire her out with a good brisk walk after dinner. Two problems there though: she's still too little for even the smallest harness to fit her without her being able to tuck her chin and bite the harness and even worse, she turns her head sharply and bites the leash and tries to play tug-of-war. I definitely don't encourage any of those kinds of games or aggressive play. Trying to disengage the leash results in growls and head shaking. So, I'm trying to bait her by offering something appropriate and desired and giving the "Drop it" command so she'll let go and take the treat along with praise for listening.... Every day is an adventure. Right now, I've had to dim all the lights and observe quiet time to move to mellow mode to get ready for bed.

She's been having more and more pee accidents in the house, even if she's just been out and has gone a few times. She totally loves to be outside and is set on investigating everything out there, happily squatting along the way. She's starting to do the same thing in the house..... sigh... even though I praise her like crazy when she goes outside and does the right thing. So, it's hard to take my eyes off her when she's awake to prevent all of those yellow rivers...

Technorati Tags: Bella housetraining BlueHost Puppy+Tales Chihuahua patriotworld

Puppy Tales, Pounces & Pownces

2007-07-02T16:30:00.000-04:00

Ok.... just when I mentioned that Bella's pen was doing the trick in terms of helping her with potty training, she decided to start having accidents inside of the pen. She prefers to have free reign of the house (naturally) but will have problems peeing when she's out (even if I've just taken her outside.) She never has a problem in her crate or on furniture or laps so I don't think it's a matter of not being able to hold it. She especially will pee on any mat or rug surface. This may have to do with her early stint in paper training or it could just be that it's the "other" surface like grass is outside as opposed to the driveway. Even outside playing, she'll run around a bit and go quite a few times up and down the grass. Luckily, she'll cry or whine (no real barking yet) if she's got to go #2 and has been doing great with that.

This morning, my furry alarm went off like clockwork at 5:45 AM, as has been the norm. We usually head out for relief then she eats and then is ready for the day. I usually am too but was very tired today and by 6:15 was feeling like I still needed more sleep. She had been sitting on my lap while I drank coffee checked email and rubbed her belly. I headed to the couch and thankfully she slept in my arms for about an hour and I got a bit more rest.

As for the Pouncing: Last night when I took her out for her final bathroom run, one of the "killer cats" was lurking in the shrubs just waiting... by the time I noticed, it was crouched low and slinking towards my little one. I shrieked, scooped her up and high tailed it into the house with my heart pounding. I'm not sure exactly what would have happened but don't really care to know, especially since I've seen them in action with birds and mice left in my yard.

And speaking of Powncing: Pownce, YASN (Yet Another Social Network) has cropped up and is wooing some of the Twitter folks... I've got an account and the jury is still out but I'm still partial to Twitter. Right now, people are somewhat split and many are posting on both. For now, Twitter is my gal, as long as all of my social circle doesn't move... After all the point of a Social Network is to be social. It's no fun talking to oneself.

Technorati: Puppy Tales, puppy, Bella, housetraining, Pownce, Twitter

Puppy Tales

2007-07-01T08:06:00.000-04:00

Since we haven't had a puppy in our lives in 14 or so years, this is all brand new once again. What better way to document and chronicle the ups and downs of puppyhood than right here? She'll grow fast and I'll likely not remember "those" times and before I know it she'll be an old lady.

Nigel was very much the puppy until at least six years old and was a very stubborn and high strung boy. He gave us a lot of love but also a run (literally) for our money. God forbid, someone left the gate open or the door ajar... off he would go! The only way to get him was to get in the car and pull up aside him. He'd happily jump in to go for a ride. But, if you tried to get him on foot, the game was on! The minute you got near him he'd juke and run enjoying his game. He grew into a loving and quite mellow old man and we miss him to this day.

Since Bella is a Chihuahua and is toy dog, some of the issues that we had with Nigel are not going to be present, such as stealing food from the counter, digging outside (she won't be out alone), and using her size to get her way. This is not to say that typical puppy behaviors are not going to be an issue:

Her biggest puppy behavior right now is nipping. She doesn't do it in aggression, rather in play but it needs to be nipped (hehe) in the bud right from the start. When she nips from being over stimulated and all excited, I immediately yelp like she injured me, turn off the attention, put her down and praise her profusely when she plays gently. It's getting better already with me, but she still gets very excited with other family members. I'm the primary care giver so she doesn't associate me only with play. As long as everyone is on the same page we'll be ok.

Another issue that I never had with Nigel is directly due to her small size. She fits under the couches and chairs and it's too dangerous there. Wires and an open back end to the stairway landing is accessible if she goes under the couch. I've resolved that by only allowing her out in the main area when I'm specifically playing with her.

Potty training is going well although she still has accidents if she's loose. I've made a "pen" by gating off an L shaped area around the island containing all of her things and allowing her plenty of room but not free access to the house. It's working well, and she hasn't had a single accident there. (Of course, I take her outside the minute she wakes up, after she eats and periodically throughout the day.) She goes outside immediately and is doing very well with that.

She still prefers to be with me and will spend some time on my lap for a belly rub :-) which is fine as long as she chews her bone and not my clothing, and it works out well and gives me some quiet time with her. After supper though, she's usually feisty and full of energy. She won't stay in the lap or in her pen without crying. She wants to play rough and nips quite a bit. I've taken to playing ball with her or letting her run around outside (weather permitting). If the kids try to play with her then, she's all wound up. Evenings are the most difficult time right now because she wants to play but she tends not to play appropriately. She does settle down later when I dim the lights and set the quiet mood to get ready for bed. She's been sleeping through the night and usually wakes up around 6:00AM which is fine with me.

I'll keep updating the Puppy Tales as we grow together.

Technorati Tags: Bella puppy Puppy Tales Chihuahua Nigel

Muse With Me...

2007-06-28T18:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I've finally done it! I've been wanting a place for non-Patriots related stuff and have been Musing about Muse for over a year. There really just hasn't been time to get it up and running so it's been on the back burner for a long time. This spring, I conducted an interview with JC Hutchins, author of the podcast novel trilogy 7th Son as part of his 50/50/50 campaign (5o interviews in 50 states in 50 days) and knew it needed to be posted in June. It was just the push I needed... So, be sure to check out Muse With Me and be sure to subscribe if you're so inclined.

Technorati Tags: Muse+With+Me, JC+Hutchins, 7th+Son, Podcast, MrsB

Riches...

2007-06-26T15:40:00.000-04:00

I just found this in with some of my old school stuff and had forgotten all about it. When I was taking my Language Arts teaching methods we had to be writers ourselves and write every day. While my financial situation has changed over the years, my undying love for my babies hasn't.....

Riches

Diamonds and furs
I've not got.
Nor boats,
Nor cars,
Nor condos.
No Caribbean cruises,
No dining out,
No designer labels.
My vast fortune
Cannot be measured
In carats, stocks or acreage.
Dollars and cents
Cannot compare
To:
Sticky kisses, just because.
Spontaneous "I love you's."
Hearing "Mom, I'll read to you."
Hugs around the knees.
Dance recitals,
Soccer games,
Swimming under water.
Bedtime snuggles,
No training wheels,
Making boo-boos better.
Fishing trips,
Library books,
Six hands in the kitchen.
All of these things
And many more,
Make up
My priceless treasure.

(Thank you Kelsea and Jacob for making me feel like the richest person on earth. Mommy loves you both beyond measure!)

Summer Lovin...

2007-06-25T17:52:00.000-04:00

First Monday of Summer Vacation and.... mmmmmmmmm... I'm in love.....

Loving getting up at the crack of dawn and being able to run, get a load of laundry on the line, clean my house, and check emails and Google Reader all before 8:00AM.
Loving making a To Do list, and actually checking most things off.
Loving the heat and humidity.
Loving working in the yard and reading whatever I want, when I want.
Loving my summer uniform of bike shorts, sports bra, tee-shirt and flip-flops.
Loving seeing my family more than just in passing.
Loving being free of the Net-Nanny and having access to whatever I want online.
Loving feeling like the whole summer is in front of me.

And loving..... my new baby girl.... sigh...

Summer Life

2007-06-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

First day of my Summer Life!!! It's been a long time coming...although on one hand it seems to have flown by. It was a very good year despite the dreaded Alternate Assessment and lots of major decisions to make regarding kids.

I'm totally geared up to start my SL in my most favorite way: A cup of coffee, a load in the washer, and an early morning run. Consuming coffee now, load of wash started, and run will take place soon. My To List is made and I'm totally psyched to dig in.

There's just one little, itty, bitty addition to my summer life... introducing baby Bella! (Yes, she was up 4 times last night, but getting up is part of being a new momma!) It was time to bring a new puppy into our lives after losing Nigel 2 years ago. The kids have been begging me and now that I'm home for the summer, it's the perfect time.

8 Things About Me

2007-06-14T06:55:00.000-04:00

Charles Cadenhead, of Mostly News, etc... has tagged me for a meme this morning called 8 Things About Me. The rules of this meme are simple. Blog 8 things about yourself then tag 8 others to do the same. Although everyone knows that I'm a Patriots Superfan and Special Education teacher, you may or may not know these things:

1. My father is one of 16 children while my mother is an only child.
2. I like my meat rare and most other things burnt.
3. I was involved in many productions in high school, starred as Dulcinea in Man of LaMancha and considered a degree/career in theater.
4. I've never been out with someone for just a date (see #6).
5. I climbed many a tree growing up as a tomboy but now I'm pretty much afraid of heights.
6. I married my high school sweetheart.
7. I wanted at least 5 children and never planned on being a working mother.
8. I love to be home.

I tag:

Ed
Chel
Annie
Diva
Jen
Chris
Christie
Andy

One week to go....

2007-06-13T07:12:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning my final week of school before starting my long awaited summer vacation. It's hard to imagine squeezing everything that I have yet to do in before next Wednesday but I know I'll make it. This has been the week of the 8:30 meeting and lost prep periods. Major decisions are being made this week (and next) and I'm anxious to have them behind me. Summer life is calling me.

My yard's been neglected, my book list is a mile long, social media... what is that? I've got many a project "on the back burner" and look forward to diving in. Right now, my mind and energy have been dedicated to work and Autism education. I've also started running again and pledge to dedicate ample time to develop a good fitness routine that I'll be committed to through the summer and beyond.

Time to head out.. I've got an IEP to work on before the kids come in, a meeting at 8:30 and a full day ahead. Just needed to mind dump before starting this day.

Stretches

2007-06-06T06:57:00.001-04:00

I'm in the home stretch with work, with the school year winding down to dismissal on the 20th. Unfortunately, there's tons of things I still need to do before heading off for the summer. There are some major placement issues and meetings that have been on my mind a lot and decisions to be made. (Dealing with people, most specifically other people's children, and knowing that your decisions impact their lives is a big responsibility and is not one that I take lightly!) Just as in everything thing I do, I can't do a half-assed job so it's weighing on me.

We've also instituted and online IEP process using a service called TIENET and I have a few to do before the end of the year. Just finding time to sit down and figure it out and input everything has been a challenge. This is the time of the year for many field trips and twice this week I'll lose my prep period because the kids won't have Art. Add to that, the myriad of other issues and things that I do on my prep and I'm getting behind the 8 ball. I've been taking them home every night but haven't been able to sit down to work on them during "my time".

Part of the reason for that is because I've been having back pain with my sciatica acting up so I've been mostly offline this week. I've also been busy with my class and catching up on lots of reading relating to Autism. I've also been out of touch with the social media world pretty much over the past couple of weeks. I've got a ton of things to think about and do, and need to sit down with a pen and paper (yes, lists still work best for me the old fashioned way) and prioritize. I've got many things that need my attention but definitely need the back to cooperate to allow me to sit here for any length of time.

Off to work now, and deciding whether or not to call the doctor. (I've been able to sit long enough to make this post so perhaps it's waning.) It's a very busy week both in school and out, and Kelsea graduates on Monday so there's a party to plan and prepare for as well, not to mention the usual house and yard work, and exercise.

Unplugged to the Max!

2007-05-31T23:04:00.001-04:00

Just back from a TOTALLY unplugged weekend... and that's not an exaggeration! Al and I spent the weekend at The Original Northeastern Primitive Rendezvoux and stepped back in time with friends Jerry, Simone, Kevin and Al's sister Theresa. It was tons of work but lots of fun to live that way for a weekend.

Loving history, I was into it and was pleasantly surprised to find that Al was too. Of course, good friends, good food and lots of laughs always makes it fun. I don't think I could step out of the 21st century for an entire week like they do every year, but a long weekend away from all things modern (yes, even including the internet!) was a refreshing change and forced me to slow down and decompress.

The weather was hot, the company was great, and my favorite part of the weekend, besides seeing the young families and the comradery there, was just hearing everyone long after dark sitting by their fires LAUGHING, playing music, and singing. The smell of firewood filled the air and candles could be seen flickering throughout camp.

I look forward to doing it again next year and hope that we'll be blessed with the same good fortune as this, our first Rendezvoux.

Check out the rest of the pictures here!

Technorati primitive Rendezvoux pre-1840 history

Virtual Hot Wings for Dinner.... :-)

2007-05-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

As I sit and type (and take a break from cleaning and ironing) I've got the sounds of Matthew Ebel blaring from the speakers. Of course I own Beer and Coffee and listening to it religiously, especially when running and on podcasts, but this incredible live collection is something completely unique and cutting edge.

I'm listening to a (legal) bootleg collection of recordings of Hali Heron's (Matthew's) concerts in Second Life. I was there the first time around and caught the shows live, right from my desktop PC through the magic of The Internets...hehe.

What's so different about these 7 hours of music is that it was compiled and distributed by a group of Matthew's FANS. And the best part is, 100% of the profits will be going into Matthew Ebel's pocket... yes, that's right, maybe he'll give up Waffles and Ramen for dinner after all! This just may blaze a trail and become THE New Media music purchase method of choice. (Imagine that... actually putting the money into the hands of the musicians! Brilliant!)

Get your own copy of Virtual Hot Wings NOW... and enjoy!!

Technorati tags: Virtual Hot Wings MatthewEbel Beer and Coffee Second Life

Play Ball!

2007-05-21T19:25:00.000-04:00

Ahh... there's nothing better in the baseball world as a Red Sox and Yankees series... especially in this household. How I ever ended up married to a Yankee fan (and worse... bore a Yankee fan son) is beyond me....hehe! Actually, it does make for lots of fun during baseball season. This one has been especially great so far and I'm rooting for my boys to continue the domination this season!

Red+Sox Yankees

Twitter... where for art thou, Twitter

2007-05-16T20:54:00.000-04:00

It's amazing just how much I'm relying on that little bugger and miss it when it's down. This week has been a hard one for me for many reasons and I REALLY don't need the Twitter Aggravation on top of it. Of course, I've taken to clenching my jaw when I see any of those cute cats... and when it IS up but my tweets disappear into thin air, I'm ready to scream, but it's more than just that...

I'm missing the people behind those tweets. I'm missing having a finger on the pulse of what's happening at any given moment in time. I'm missing letting my friends know what's up with me and where I'm at. I'm missing clicking on the links of the latest news and things that my online colleagues are doing or have posted. I also miss being able to send and receive direct messages rather than fire up the email just to say a few words. Most of all, I miss the support of friends if I just need a hug or to vent.

twitter

Disconnected

2007-05-12T08:12:00.000-04:00

Just when you think that things will happen a certain way, something comes up and they change. My last post celebrated my day of freedom because the ASSessment was done finally. I thought for sure that my free time would increase and I would be able to start working on so many of the New Media projects and things that require my attention and also finish my class that had to take an incomplete for this spring. My body had other ideas.....

I spent over a week with very swollen glands and a sore throat and a couple of days with a fever so I ended up working and then literally going right to bed when I got home for the rest of the day/night. But more than that, I got a new student who is VERY challenging and presents a combination of many issues requiring ALL of my attention.

I've been going into work early and staying late until he's actually on the bus and on the way home as well as expelling tons of mental energy brainstorming ways to meet all of his needs and transition him into a school environment both while at work and at home. So, all of my free periods, which were reclaimed as the assessment ended have been full of paperwork and things related to this situation instead.

It also was one of those hectic stretches where the commitments on the calendar just don't seem to stop. Add the less-than-stellar-health to the mix and the Social Media world definately is not high on the priority list. Sure, I managed to scan the inboxes for super important emails but Google Reader has piled up and up. I've barely Twittered and Second Life is a distant memory. It seems strange to not have my finger on the pulse of what's going on right now. And although it's tempting to go back and try to "catch up", it'll be practically impossible so I'll scan GR quickly then as tough as it'll be, "Mark All Read" for many of them then start fresh.

I would love to say that this week will be different, however I don't expect things to change much until I actually get out of school and start my beloved Summer Life... (ahhhh... just the thought brings a smile to my face. ) There was a major issue at school yesterday with one of my other students, lots of end of the year paper work to do, IEPs to write, meetings to hold and just the busy spring calendar itself with family things, Special Olympics and such.

I also started an Autism course that I've been waiting for which will run for 9 weeks bringing me into July. I've been reading a lot of books about Autism as well. Of course, I'll still be trying to squeeze out a weekly podcast too, even if it's via iriver like the last two.

So, if you don't see or hear much from me for awhile, it's not that I don't love you... I'm just spread too thin.

busy, Autism+Project+of+RI, New+Media, Social+Media, second+life, Google+Reader, school

RezDay and FREEDOM!!

2007-05-03T16:05:00.000-04:00

Ok... so, two things happening today. Despite being sick, I have a perma-smile because of this:

After the entire school year dealing with the dreaded ASSessment... ahhhhhhh!!

Also, just happened to notice that today is my RezDay, the birthday of my Second Life avatar, Kaye Delacroix. And, my how she's changed...hehe! Happy RezDay also to Lynette Radio who shares my day.. and Ed Radio whose day was yesterday.

RezDay assessment secondlife

On Getting my Life Back....

2007-04-29T09:42:00.000-04:00

AHHHHHHHH...... yes, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's shining brightly. After spending most of my vacation week and two 14 hour work at home days, the ASSessment is done! (At least what I could do at home.) I still have some activities to do with the kids at school this week, then I'll gladly pack the binders up and ready them for UPS pickup.

So, now that the HUGE monkey is off my back, I can focus on moving forward. I've been thinking about which direction I want to go in terms of my whole brand and new media presence and have spoken to someone that I trust about revamping my site(s). That is definitely a priority at this point and will get the ball rolling for other changes coming down the pike.

During an evening of chatting with Chris Penn about a variety of things, the convo turned to the social media circles and I mentioned that there were sooo many things cropping up and that living in this world takes up time. He said something very profound which made me sit up and think:

"Just don't get too caught up in it. We spend a lot of time learning the tools of social media without DOING something with them."

So, that's it... not just spending time playing and meeting people, which is fun and nice, but to use them to work towards our goals. Trouble is, when you're not really sure where it is you want to ultimately end up. For me, my initial foray into the online world and community began as a Patriots Super-Fan but there is so much more out there and so much more that I'm interested in.

Yes, I'm intending on continuing to use new media to move forward with my Patriots passion, but there's always that fine line that I walk between wanting to take it to the next media level and remaining "The Fan".
I'm a Special Educator, and love what I do. Unlike many in the podcasting community, I don't share their aspirations of "quitting the day job". Of course, this may have to do with the fact that the Pats Passion which fuels my podcast is a past-time and hobby, while I love working with my students and if I HAVE to work, there is nothing else I'd rather do. (Of course, if I didn't have to work, I would be home in a minute, but that's not even a realistic thought.)
I LOVE podcasting and the community itself. However, having a podcast about the Pats requires ample time in the Patriots community as well. Time that I used to spend hanging with Pats people in the forums and chats, is now shared (and at times replaced) with time hanging with the podcast/new media community folks.

I still plan on starting a non-sports related podcast and it's just a matter of getting a chunk of time to get it up and running.
Of course, I'm learning about the technology as I go along, as I'm a geek world "new blood". (I've been a book nerd my whole life, but fairly new into the tech world, so every day is a learning experience for me.)

So, where am I going? What direction am I taking this? What am I going to DO with it? Steve Garfield has some ideas on this subject as well Thing is... I love many things but they're not necessarily related... Yes, they are all tied together through this new media world but there are just so many hours in each day and we've just one life to live. I guess time will tell....

Btw.... just 37 days of school left so I'm REALLY going to get my life back soon!

Technorati: assessment, Chris+Penn, Steve+Garfield, Autism Podcast, patriots, brand

No Denying It....

2007-04-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

Rainy school vacation week... time for doing... well things like this just for fun :-)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Wicked Kewl!

Thanks to fellow Twitterer Virgil66 for the link in his blog.

Technorati quiz accent

Thinking....

2007-04-15T09:57:00.000-04:00

This morning was a rare morning for me. Rather than being up at the crack of dawn before the rest of the family, jumping into my To Do list, I actually laid awake in bed for a good hour, eyes closed, curled up with my pillow, listening to the spring rain through the cracked window, just thinking.

It's not often that I'm not actually DOING, rather just THINKING........ (I even tried my best to not think about things I had to do...just think) I thought about my family, thought about that first mouthful of coffee and how good it would taste, how comforting the rain sounded hitting my roof, the feeling of the sheets against my skin, the smell of the earth coming through my window and the fact that I should slow down sometimes and do this more often.... What do you think about?

thinking To+Do+List

Little Changes...

2007-04-12T22:57:00.000-04:00

Coming up on spring vacation from school, I'm determined NOT to spend the entire thing working on the dreaded ASSessment so I've really put the pedal to the metal this week. I'm happy to say that I've actually made some progress :-) So, this is my last night that I head to bed knowing that I have to get up for work for another day. As I sit here typing right this minute, my 15 yr. old is begging me to skip school tomorrow (Day Before April Vacation = National Bunk Day) but to no avail. I'm hearing sounds of "I'm feeling ill.. I may puke tonight, just to let you know!" (God.. I love that kid!) hehehe

Anyway, I ran the blog feed through feedburner tonight, so if you're not subscribed, you can easily do so by clicking the rss icon on the right. I also went back to the white background because it looked better with some icons and pictures on the site. I'm going to attempt a switch to Wordpress hosted on my site next week, with the help of friends.

I've also mentioned to a web designer that I would like to talk to him next week about the "big picture" and getting some guidance so that's on the agenda. In addition, I've got something new and totally cool for the podcast and will unleash it with the next show.

So... I am making a dent in my wish list and making progress.. one little baby step at a time!

Procrastination? Not Me!

2007-04-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

Getting to be crunch time now. I'm totally in overdrive with the ASSessment so that's the priority numero uno for sure. I have made some contacts to begin working on my "social media map" and all of the things on the infamous list of things that have been swimming around in this brain.

Just got caught up on all the feeds about PodcampNYC and corresponding Flickr surfing.... lots to look at and think about and definitely lots to keep me from getting busy with my business of ASSessing!

So.. with husband snoring on the couch (after working 36 hours straight) and kids in respective rooms, I'm jumping in like a good little girl.. and will.... resist.... Twitter.... Skype... gmail.... Google Reader... etc.......................

Technorati procrastination assessment podcampnyc flickr

Good Friday Plan

2007-04-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

What is that yellow, unidentified foreign object in the sky that I see? Wow... although it's cold at least the rain has stopped and the sun has emerged. I'm off today so I'll get some clothes on the line and start working on my ASSessment once I finish reading what's dropped into Google Reader over night.

I still have lots of things swimming around in this head about where to go with the site, podcasts and blogs but ASSessment and homework are top priorities right now. Of course, it's hard to concentrate on that boring stuff when creative thoughts constantly sidetrack me. I must really try to focus and stick to a time schedule and allow myself 15 minute breaks from work for something fun. :-)

First 15... chatting on Skype and catching up on Twitter, while finishing my coffee, then on to work.

Must Do's for today:

Enter rough assessment info into computer for at least one student so there is an online copy (God forbid the paper copy that I've been working on gets lost!!)
Laundry (not a problem since I love to hang out)
Exercise
Shop for nephew's birthday gift (yuck... hate to shop)
Catch up on email, blog posts, Pats news
Take some time for play :-) (mess around with photoshop or research the WP blog to work on some of my To Do list .. yes, that's fun for me.. god I'm such a geek!)
Club tonight then movies with my husband

Time Crunch

2007-04-05T06:37:00.000-04:00

While I'm thrilled that it's April and time is flying by, I'm really starting to feel the crunch! My huge ASSessment project deadline is fast approaching and I'm not even close to being done. I've still got tons to do with it and I've got homework to do for my class as well.

I've been making an effort to unplug more which is good for the family and body (by going to bed much earlier) but it does nothing to help my To Do list and the things that I listed here The 25th Hour: Multi-tasking Mayhem. I have done a few things on the list but there are so many that I've yet to work out. I think it may be time to enlist the help of someone who's more experienced than I am for some advice and assistance. (Although that generally goes against the way I usually do things by being self taught.)

No work tomorrow for Good Friday but the weekend will be busy so it won't really be like a bonus day for me in terms of getting things done, more like a regular weekend due to the loss of Sunday.

This weekend is PodcampNYC and I may try to catch some things online if they stream like they did in Toronto but I've really got to NOT allow it to distract me too much if I'm working on homework or Assessment stuff. How I'd love to take part in things like that but it's another story for another day.... sigh...

I changed the color scheme of the blog but not sure if I like it and may go back. What I really want to do is change the whole thing completely to Wordpress hosted on my site but I'm not sure if my host will support it (will be changing hosts anyway) and also just how to do it so it'll have to wait.

Time to head to work soon... a quick check of the email and feeds then I'll be off!

Weekend Update

2007-03-31T09:02:00.000-04:00

No...not the infamous Saturday Night Live version, just my game plan. I've got another busy one with tons to do and will try to make a conscious effort to "unplug" as much as possible this weekend to keep the balance in my life (and keep people smiling around here.)

I already started this morning with a chilly walk which was the best way to start my day. I've been walking back and forth to work most days this past week and wracked up close to 20 miles for the week. I'm not "feeling" the yearn to run yet but I'm sure that it will be coming. This morning it was cold out so I bundled up with a hoodie and long pants which was more conducive to walking but once I can get into my shorts I'll likely hit the pavement running. Laundry is already on the line (yes... since my cleanup last weekend, the yard is ready for me to begin hanging out for the season.)

This afternoon, we're heading over to PPAC for Man of LaMancha, one of our favorites since it's the play that we did in high school when Al and I actually got together many years ago. We've been going to PPAC for years but this is the first time it's come to Providence so we've been looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I'm missing my students' Special Olympics bowling tournament today but that's what happens sometimes. (We have two Track and Field event days coming up that I'll be able to make though.) Then, tonight we're going out to eat after the show with Al's sister and her boyfriend.

Tomorrow will be catch-up day and whatever else it brings. I've got some decisions to make and feel a bit overwhelmed right now. Lots of things are swimming around in my head which require some prioritizing. Need a brain dump and just may fire up the iriver on my next walk and muse away. More later...

Blog Tag: 7 Songs that I Love

2007-03-26T16:34:00.001-04:00

Just before bed I saw Chris Penn's Twitter post, telling me that I've been Tagged but I had to wait until this afternoon to read up and see what it was all about since I can't access much online at work. So, I need to pick 7 songs that I love (only 7.. that's not easy!) He was tagged by Chris Brogan who was tagged by 7 year old Aidan Hatch.

Since my listening time is usually limited to podcasts and podsafe music, it truly is what I enjoy these days. At work, I always have classical or instrumental music playing in the classroom and put it on when I need to really focus on a challenging task but I literally listen to all podsafe music otherwise. So, my list is made up of podsafe music and public domain compositions. All are Kid-Safe as well :-)

I Know You're There by Matthew Ebel
Canon in D by Pachelbel
Sun Again Will Shine by Slackstring
Without You by Black Lab
Lillian a Portrait in Sound by Jim Fidler
Mother by Kevin Reeves
You Stood by Me by Esther Grondahl

So, rules are that you site the people in your chain, in this case Aidan Hatch, Chris Brogan, Chris Penn and include this post when you tag the next person.

People I tag are: Steve L., Charles Cadenhead, TheDiva & ChelPixie, (I'll save some of you other Twitters for other people to tag :-) )

Technorati: Aiden+Hatch black+lab blog+tag Chris+Brogan Chris+Penn Esther+Grondahl Jim+Fidler kevin+reeves matthew+ebel music Pachelbel Slackstring

Splinters and Twitters

2007-03-25T09:18:00.000-04:00

Up and at em early today as I've got Lily's Birthday party at noon and of course.. the anti-shopper has to stop at Old Navy this morning because she doesn't have a gift yet. (In all fairness, I did TRY yesterday but couldn't find anything that I liked.) Yesterday, I ended up working in the yard all afternoon and have completely cleaned out all of the winter brush and dead stuff from last season.

Unfortunately, my hands are full of mini splinters and since waking up this morning, my body is doing its best to expel the little buggers. Thus, my hands are covered with red puffy bumps and it's hard to type. (Reminder to self: Next Time Wear Gloves!)

I didn't spend much time online yesterday as a result of my yardwork, and also because I was running errands to get Jake ready for his Freshman Frolic (yes.. he's a last minute type just like his mother.) I most definitely spent the most time "unplugged" than I have in a long time.

We all know I'm totally into Twitter and use it for fun but also to keep up with what's going on. Too bad I missed this little impromptu Twitter-fest in Second Life but opted instead to spend some time in Real Life watching movies with my husband on a Saturday night. I'm sure there will be more and I'll be in the right place at the right time :-) I also missed out on a Matthew Ebel double header but I HAVE caught all of his SL shows in the past couple of week so I'm still ahead of the game.

Just downloaded and installed a handy dandy Twitter sidebar from Mike Demers called Tweetbar which will keep me up on the happenings without needing to toggle bag and forth between Firefox tabs. It's especially good since it appears that the IM capabilities with gTalk have been in a state of "down at the moment" permanently.

Well, time to hit the road and fight the Sunday shoppers before taking off to spend some time with the little ones for the afternoon. It'll be nothing but Homework (and catching up with tweets and stuff) for me when I get home.

Technorati: twitter tweetbar matthew+ebel second+life

On tap for today:

2007-03-24T09:18:00.000-04:00

Spring has finally sprung here! Got a busy weekend with family commitment stuff, errands to do and lots of homework as well. Hoping to get an early start today and will likely be "unplugged" for most of it. Of course, the homework requires computer time but other than that, I've got lots to do around the house and yard. I'd love to clear out the winter brush to gain easy access to my clothesline... (yes, I love to hang out!)

Thanks to those who Bum Rushed the Charts. Yes, there's some question over the actual totals on iTunes.. but will be keeping an eye on that.

Technorati: spring Bum+Rush+the+Charts

Bum Rush the Charts!

2007-03-22T06:44:00.000-04:00

I've Bum Rushed ... Have You? Today is the Day!!!

Bum Rush the Charts! Follow the link TODAY to purchase Black Lab's Mine Again through the affiliate link to help fund college scholarships and drive "one of our own" to the top of the iTunes charts!

Technorati: Bum+Rush+the+Charts

BRTC Reminder, Playing, Procrastinating & RAM

2007-03-21T14:41:00.000-04:00

Man.. how easy is it to get wrapped up playing around? Twitter starts it all off for me... it's just too tempting NOT to click on the links that fellow podcasters and Twitterers post. Take for instance, this little gem, Show Yourself, from Ed. I spent some time "playing with Ed's widget" and conversing with Charles about the how-to of adding it to a Blogger blog. Meanwhile, the homework sits and is beckoning me... I'm home from work, feeling quite under the weather, so actually, I'm still ahead of the game because I normally wouldn't have been able to do it anyway, right? (Yah, Karen, keep trying to convince yourself of that... !)

Just a reminder: Tomorrow is the day to Bum Rush the Charts! Follow the link tomorrow to purchase Black Lab's Mine Again through the affiliate link to help fund college scholarships and drive "one of our own" to the top of the iTunes charts!

On another note: here's a little Twitter brain dump of mine from yesterday...

Realizing that trying to live in this New Media world with my crap computer is like trying to be a master chef with dull knives... 09:37 AM March 20, 2007 from web

I'm happy to report that replacing my 256k of RAM with the maximum allowable 1GB has already made some great impact in "sharpening my knives". I actually took in a Matthew Ebel concert last night in Second Life and could actually not only listen but talk and move without crashing multiple times!! Yippee!! I'm still facing other issues which hinder my ability to wade smoothly through the land of New Media but at least I'm making a dent.

And now... just the act of blogging this has served to fuel my procrastination fire yet again..hehe!

Technorati tags: twitter, Bum+Rush+the+Charts, second+life, show+yourself+widget, procrastination, matthew+ebel, black+lab

Multi-tasking Mayhem

2007-03-16T08:27:00.000-04:00

I'm a multi-tasker.. always have been and always will be. It's just the way I live my life. I think it's because I definitely have more on my plate than physical hours in the day but also I feel that it's just the way I'm wired. I can't even watch TV or a movie without also doing something else (knitting, writing, reading, homework, surfing, etc.) I also simultaneously listen and watch as well. It's not uncommon for me to be listening to my ipod and watching TV at the same time. I definitely plug-in and even listen to podcasts while reading.

So, I know that this is just who I am and how I operate. This week though, I need to just compartmentalize a bit. I'm bouncing from project to project and have been getting sidetracked. I think it's because there are so many things that I want to get done online that it's hard to stick with just one until completion because a.) I don't have the hours to commit, b.) I get bored doing one thing for a long period of time, c.) I don't really have the answers for all the directions that I'm headed and need to make some huge decisions, and d.) I don't really know HOW to do many of the things that I want to do.

Just a few of the many "projects" that I'm working on and/or have on my list of things that I would like to do:

revamp website (decide if I'm going to do it myself or go with a company)
research and make decision about above
research and switch web host
switch blogs to Word Press hosted on sites
make new logos for site(s)
run feeds through Feedburner
automate my rss file creation (after switching web hosts since I can't do .htaccess on my current one.)
decide definitively which website addy I'm going to plug into those little boxes when answering comments on other's blogs. (Read= decide where I'm going in terms of my "brand")
make new (long overdue) promo
create liners, sweepers for podcast
background theme music
New intro
Finally get second podcast off the ground
make new business cards
learn how to edit some video that I took and need to upload (long overdue!)
continue move of all old photo galleries from my site to my Flickr account

So, the head is swimming with ideas and bouncing from place to place. I've already started streamlining the website on my own and have decluttered some pages and will do a few a day for now. If I decide to go with a company to revamp the whole thing then that's ok too...

Those things are in addition to my usual updating of the site, research and podcasting my show, keeping up with my email and daily blog reading, twittering away, doing homework for my HTML class and just spending some random time online surfing, chatting, and playing a bit in Second Life (hey... all work and no play is not a way to live!)

So... I'm off of work today and already have a clean house so I'm jumping into the email box first and we'll see where I go from there.

Oh yah... all that SNOW that I've been dying for all winter, will be coming today, just when I've switched to Spring mode! (Sure enough, the minute I put away all winter decorations at home and school, it comes!) As I told a friend last night on Skype chat, Murphy's Law says: Always bring an umbrella on a field trip and you'll be assured great weather!

decisions multi-tasking web+host

Not a Fan...

2007-03-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

...of the early switch to Daylight Savings Time! It's finally warmed up past freezing around here and I was all set (clothes laid out the night before and psyched up) to get out first thing in the morning for a walk or run, but awoke at 6:00AM and it was Pitch Black! I know that many people run in the dark but being a woman and someone who's always "plugged in" I'm not really comfortable with it from a safety sake.

I'm sure some people are liking the fact that it stays light later but for me, I treasure those early morning hours before the rest of the world (and my family) begin their days. When I belonged to a gym (and before I went through a period that I dreaded going into work and actually could get up at 4:30 AM,) I was there every morning at 4:45 getting my workout in before most people even got up. I still prefer to jump out of bed and into some workout gear and hit the pavement before doing anything else, and that's what I do all summer but during the school year, I have to get up early to do it.

So.. bottom line is, either I have to deal with the dark before school or wait until the afternoon to head out for awhile.

Technorati: exercise, Daylight+Savings+Time

Simple Pleasures

2007-03-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

Ahhh.... nothing like that distinctive smell of the first open window breezes of the season!

Weekend Warrior

2007-03-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

Getting a late start to my day but so happy that the weather has changed and the temperature is in the 40's as opposed to the single digits that we've experienced this week. I'm in dire need of getting outdoors and taking a walk or two during my breaks from "plugged in" work today. I've still got tons to do and I'm still behind, especially in my HTML class, but I'm set to get started on homework as soon as I finish this post. Starting off my day by stating my intentions and making my To Do list grounds me and gets me set to focus.

I've got laundry in (almost time to start hanging out!), dishwasher running, and a picked up house so first on my list is:

checkbook and online banking
homework (until iPod finishes charging)
WALK (or run depending on how I feel)
email/google reader/surf favorites
more homework...

Usually I start with the email then get swallowed up, but I need to jump in to my assignment first and realize that all that other stuff will still be there waiting and it's not really the end of the world if I don't keep right on top of it ASAP, or at all... (Here's an excellent post by a friend Ed Roberts experiencing new media overload and some of the very things that I've been feeling this past week as well.)

So, a banking I will go.... then cracking the books, wish me luck!

Technorati Tags: To+Do+List Google+Reader homework Ed+Roberts

Podcasting gods hate me this week...

2007-03-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

In a funk and feeling it all caving in on me... the mountainous list of things To Do that just keeps growing.... sigh.. I did finally get a podcast up tonight although it took a couple of days due to technical issues beyond my control. Two separate software clients had issues that prevented me from podcasting. Then, when I finally got things up and running, the usual issue of podcasting in the heart of my home and having to find the precise (quiet) moment is always an issue.

Yesterday, I was so upset because I really wanted to podcast; it's Free Agency and the Patriots have been totally active and had some BIG signings so there actually was news! I came home from work, and put all other things aside to make the show my first priority. Naturally, doing a podcast like mine, there's some research involved so I spent some time reading articles online and deciding what was most important.

Knowing that family would likely be in and out, I decided to record in Audacity because it offers easy editing and can be recorded in pieces. So, I finally got to record, got the whole spoken part done and went to listen and the cursor was stuck so it wouldn't play all of those beautiful looking waves. It had happened last week too and I needed to re-record. I had downloaded the newer version after that problem thinking that it would be ok. So... wasted time, and by then the house was so noisy I couldn't do a thing. I felt horrible too, because nothing else had gotten done because I had pushed it aside for the podcast. I jumped in Second Life for 20 minutes to hang with some podcasters, unplugged and got things ready for work before bed.

Today, I decided to record as soon as I got home and once again pushed everything else aside. Mistake #1 ... downloading the new itunes update the minute I walked in the door because I had to wait. (Don't forget, I'm running against the clock for limited quiet house time...) Got that all set then tried to fire up my usual recording software of choice, Castblaster. I had downloaded the newest Beta and lo and behold, couldn't open the program... grrrr. So, I re downloaded the prior version which did work. I was ready!!

I recorded for about 10 minutes then heard the infamous garage.... meaning that the family was home so I stopped. A couple of hours later, I tried to record again and although I said "append" it overwrote my prior recording so I had to start over. I was interrupted by kids coming in and hit "pause" but grrrr.. .it kept recording so I knew I would have to edit. Castblaster is a "live" recording experience and doesn't offer much in terms of easy editing. When I finally finished I tried to delete the selection that was messy but it wouldn't work.

So, I was forced to run the whole thing through Audacity (thankfully that worked) to chop out the crap but encoding takes forever. I tried to encode via itunes on the advice of a friend but it didn't offer an easy way to write shownotes. So, encoding through Audacity via Lame is what I needed to do, but then STILL run it through iTunes to add my photo and change the genre to Podcast since Audacity doesn't offer either of those...

Sigh... see where I'm going here? Hours and hours and hours for a 19 minute show! Then add on writing the shownotes, writing the rss feed, uploading to Libsyn, posting notes to Blog and myspace and updating the website. (sheesh, just realized I forgot Technorati tags but screw it now!) Crazy isn't it?!

However... I love it and don't want to give it up. I do wish for an easier recording solution though.. something that would allow me the "real" feel of Castblaster and the one stop show notes writing and fast encoding that it offers but would allow for easy editing if necessary. Let's face it, there are always far to many ummms and such in everyday speech but with CB I just leave it in because it's not an easy fix to edit out.

Although... right now.. I'd settle for anything that would work consistently.

Technorati Tagspodcast patriots patriotworld mrsb audacity castblaster libsyn To+Do+List funk

Sunday Plan of Attack

2007-03-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

Putting the pedal to the metal this morning as I got up late (must have actually needed that sleep!) and it's already Sunday. Since we went to PPAC and also watched a movie last night, I didn't get a chance to work on any homework, podcast, or my website. So, today, I'll be trying diligently to stick to my list.

I don't need to start by saying that I'm going to actually make a To Do list because that goes without saying! That's just the kind o person that I am and it's how I wade through all of my busy days and live my life. There's something inherently pleasing to me to be able to actually cross something off (although I'm a check-marker not crosser-offer...)

The key for today though is to limit my time doing certain things so as to not get distracted and run out of time. Naturally, I'll underestimate how much time every task will take but at least I'm making a point to be cognizant of the fact that I've got a shortened day with an incredibly long list of things To Do.

Priorities for today:

* Finish and submit Assignment 1 in my HTML class (yes, it's about time that I finally learn how to actually code!)
* Write a letter of recommendation for summer camp grant for one of my students.
* Do some show prep (get the facts) for a podcast since there's been so much happening this free agency week.
* Actually record if I can find some quiet time in the house.
* Update my website with recent Patriots transactions.

Of course... the usual, laundry, cleaning, reading of email, scanning of blogs, etc. goes without saying.

I need to avoid the tremendous suck of my Google Reader then jumping over to the actual sites and clicking on every link that interests me. I literally could spend hours and hours bouncing from place to place reading to my heart's content. It's amazing how I can start out on one blog and end up miles away from where I started, and wonder where the hours went. I think I may have to even resort to setting a timer today and use my GR experience as my "break time" treat.

I'll give myself liberty with Twitter while working though since short messages won't be much to deter me but will keep me connected to my world.

So, with a full cup of coffee by my side, a load of laundry in the washer, podcasts in my ears, I'm jumping into my inbox first then will chip away at my list. Wish me luck!

Technorati: To+Do+List patriots patriotworld mrsb Google+Reader homework
podcast Twitter

Folding at Home

2007-03-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

Of course, I usually have quite a few podcasts backed up in the queue so I'm a bit behind on the times but when I heard this episode I knew I wanted to get involved. I've joined in with the Dawn and Drew Minion Folding at Home team to donate my unused computer time to help find a cure for cancer. All of the details can be found here. I set it up on the 3 computers here in my house since I never shut them off anyway. Care to join in?

Technorati: Folding+@+Home Dawn+and+Drew cancer patriotworld mrsb

Friday Catch-Up and Branding Decisions

2007-03-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's FRIDAY!!! woooohoooo! Can you tell I'm happy? :-) Most M-F workers usually are and I'm no different. It actually was a very good day at work today... come to think of it, it was a very good week!

I've got a busy weekend ahead with heading out to eat tonight then tomorrow we have tickets for PPAC to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I've got tons of homework to finish and lots of web type stuff to do.

This leads me to the place I'm at right now. I've been thinking alot about which direction to go head in, in terms of the website as far as a redesign and hosting options. I've been contacted by someone who would like to overhaul it, and need to find a new hosting service as I haven't been happy with mine since the summer. There is so much to think about... I KNOW it needs an overhaul and have it on my infamous TO DO list as I've outgrown my initial footprint in the online world, but it's scary to think of someone else doing it... (Don't we mothers usually have trouble letting go of our babies?)

Then, there is the cost factor. If I decide to host with the folks that do the web design it will cost me more than triple what I'm paying now BUT things will be done right. I'm also SOOO at a crossroads in terms of my "personal brand" since I've always been known in Patriot Nation as Mrs. B and most of my online presence has been as a Pats fan. Thus, kcardoza.com was born for all things NOT Patriots football. (Too bad karencardoza.com was already taken although it's just "parked" as of right now.) So, there's so much to think about with all of my things going on. Patriotworld.com for all things Tedy Bruschi and New England Patriots. The podcast show notes site, for links and blog, and this blog for my personal ramblings. I think that CC Chapman has the right idea with a blog in his name as the hub with all of his other things linked from there.. Oh yah... of course, I still plan on starting another non-football podcast which will add yet another dimension... yikes! So, I'm quite overwhelmed with the decisions right now and need to take some time to really think about the big picture.

Added a new blog to my list at right.. Christopher Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast started a personal blog this week as well.

Technorati Tags patriots patriotworld mrsb cc+chapman Christopher+Penn
personal+brand

In My Language...

2007-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Having two Autistic students who are new to public school this year, I've been literally trying to absorb as much knowledge about Autism as I can in order to understand them and meet their needs. I've come across this amazing You Tube Video on several blogs (beginning with Chris Brogan) across the net and it's completely floored me. Amanda presents with multiple self-stimulatory behaviors that I see on a daily basis in my classroom. As I watched and got to the second half, my jaw dropped. Watch all the way through and you'll see why.

I don't think I'll ever look at my boys in the same way again. Granted, not all non-verbal Autistic people are capable of such eloquent language and cognition varies from child to child, but I'll not take anything for granted. Obviously, Amanda Baggs has an extensive vocabulary and supreme intellect and she is not representative of all non-verbal Autistic people, but had she not gotten her hands on a keyboard, we might never know.

I've just discovered this remarkable woman and have yet to read anything else yet, but have subscribed to and will read her blog Ballastexistenz.

I've also been a subscriber to Autismpodcast since it's inception and find it very helpful and enjoyable. It's a nice blend of personal experience (Michael Boll has an autistic son), expert advice and roundtable discussions. As a member of The Autism Project of RI, I'll be attending various trainings over the next few months and reading everything I can on the Autism Spectrum... man... going to need that 25th hour!

Link to all of Amanda's videos.

Technorati Tags: autism communication language video Amanda+Baggs
Post to Del.icio.us

Final day of vacation...

2007-02-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

Wow... where did the week go? It totally flew by. Today will be a day of changing gears and getting ready to adjust to the work week. Next week, I have lots of appointments and meetings after school so I'll be jumping right in with both feet.

Today, I've got more ASSessment work to do and I'll likely be "attending" more Podcamp Toronto sessions online as I work. Yesterday, I took in quite a few great sessions right from the comfort of my own home via the streaming video.

I also had the pleasure of enjoying two online podsafe concerts within a week. On Tuesday, I checked out Podsafe Music Live while at the U-Turn Cafe in Second Life with a bunch of other podcasters. It was an AWESOME show featuring Matthew Ebel , David McMillin, Geoff Smith Codaphonic and Kevin Reeves.

Last night, Uncle Seth performed at C'est What in Toronto and I was able to listen via the stream. I could have jumped into SL as well but decided instead to unplug the headphones and play it on the speakers so that I could get some other things done around here and get out of this chair! I spent wayyyy too many hours sitting yesterday and needed to get up and get moving.

So, with my powerwalk already under my belt and my To Do list by my side, I'm getting an early start and look forward to a productive day. I need to hit the market later to get stocked up for lunches and healthy snacks for work. God... I'll be so relieved when this ASSessment is off my back, especially since I'm taking a course and also because I'm looking forward to moving in a new direction with my website and podcast(s).

Technorati Tags:
assessment, codaphonic, david mcmillin, February vacation, geoff smith, kevin reeves, matthew ebel, mrsb, patriotworld, podcast, podsafe music, music live, second life, To Do List, uncle seth

FREE HUGS!!

2007-02-23T15:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Chris Brogan's Twitter post for sending this along just when I needed it.

It's been one of those long, emotional weeks for variety of reasons and with a To Do list a mile long, I been bit by the stomach bug. I spent the night being sick and don't feel much better today. So.. FREE HUGS are something that managed to bring a smile to this pale face today. School vacation has flown by and I'll be back to work before I know it. But.. the heck with that, I'm going to watch again :-)

Bum Rush the Charts!

2007-02-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you who listen to the podcast, I'm sure you've heard many tunes by my favorite band, Black Lab .

Although I have already purchased their newest CD, Passion Leaves a Trace, and listen to it religiously, I'll be Bum Rushing the Charts on March 22nd and purchasing Mine Again from iTunes anyway.

So, join with me in obtaining some great music, promoting an excellent band, helping with college aid, and showing that new media really works!

Print out the Bum Rush flyer and find out the details!

Times They are a Changin...

2007-02-18T09:34:00.000-05:00

Change... sometimes it's hard, sometimes easy.

This Week: I welcome the change from going to work to being home this week on February vacation... I've got lots to do this week and some decisions to make. I need to treat it as a "work from home" week though in terms of schedule because I've got to make a huge dent in the ASSessment.

Website: I'm not sure which direction to go in with the website as I've got some options; revamp either with someone's help or alone, let it go the way it is, call it a day, downsize... I'm sure I'll know what's right for me at some point.

Health/Weight: Although I'm not obese, I did catch a talking to from the doctor last week because I had gained some weight since the last time I was there. He wanted to know what was going on with me because I was in such great shape (getting up and going to the gym at 4:45 every day will do that for ya...) back then. He was concerned because even then, my cholesterol was borderline but I had great "good" cholesterol so the ratio was fine, BUT he's worried that the weight gain might have ruined that. So... being one to refuse to go on medication, that is serving to be more of a motivator to drop the extra 15 pounds than seeing my naked body and wanting to puke is...

Podcasting: Finding the time to keep up with my show and also the desire to start a completely new one while at the same time keeping the peace here and fitting it all in.

Decluttering and cleaning house... Letting go of old crap that is bringing me down and moving towards simplifying my life.. I've actually made a huge dent in this since the new year. I've donated so much stuff to someone who can put it to good use, and it's a freeing feeling and makes keeping things straight here much easier. Of course, all these "projects" take time but I've got extra this week so it's a good time to make some good headway.

Clearing my mind: Doing some good things for me emotionally and taking time just for me...

So, that's where I am right now. We may get some snow tonight (hope so!) During my early morning walk it certainly had the snow smell in the air and it was like the calm before the storm; very quiet, still and grey. Plan for the day is to work some more on the ASSessment, keep up with my twittering peeps, and maybe even do some playing online in Second Life for a bit. (Seems like lots of time on here lately has been spent working although that's not how it appears to some...sigh...)

Ripped off....

2007-02-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

Yep... just for those of you that have any doubt in your mind... "Teachers LOVE snow days!!" Of course, once again.. we got nothing but rain and slush so there goes that elusive bonus day off. It's a total mess out there right now and my front yard and driveway are under water. Supposedly, it may turn back over to snow tonight, but once again, tonight I'll prepare myself to go to work and do all of those things that I do the night before to get out of here stress-free in the morning.

Thankfully, wrestling practice was cancelled for tonight so I don't have to venture out to drive the boys... it's the perfect day/night for staying home.

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Hope you can spend it with someone you love... With my own children growing up, I'm so thankful for my students.... To think I can elicit hugs and a random "I love you" just by walking through the door... sigh...

Sunday Check-In

2007-02-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Not sure where the weekend went... seems to have flown by and although I got tons of cleaning done (Kitchen completely spring cleaned!) there still remains tons of things on my list that I never got to this weekend.

I'm sitting here with a cup of tea, hoping to quell the queazy stomach that's been nagging at me all day. I'm hoping that the feeling will go away and that I'm not coming down with something... Tomorrow's schedule is a good one at school with gym (our planning period) and a long free period! So, I'll have lots of time to work on that dreaded ASSessment and will also get to take a walk to the library to return some overdue books. I'm so in need of getting out of the building for a bit on my unassigned periods like I'm accustomed to but have been chained to the computer trying to get that @#^$&*@# done.

Well... time to get things ready for tomorrow and jump in the shower soon as I just may be hitting the hay early tonight depending on this wave that's rearing it's ugly head again... sigh...

A New Day...

2007-02-05T07:22:00.000-05:00

The start of a new week... and one filled with meetings and commitments but at least I'm one step closer to vacation. I made some good headway in the ASSessment this weekend and worked quite a bit on it. Kelsea was sick on Thursday and Friday and I needed to take her to the doctors on Friday so I took the day out of work. (Strep throat... yuck!) It allowed me to get a jump start on my weekend... although most of the day was spent in tears. I guess the brunt of my January (aided by some Matthew Ebel and Black Lab) just all came crashing down and I needed to just get it out...

It was a busy weekend again (of course) but yesterday I refused to leave the house so that I could get some cleaning done and devote a good chunk of time to getting this monkey off my back. I scheduled all the running around for Friday and Saturday so that I could do that. So, I took on the incredible task of decluttering my desk... (yikes!) and got a few more ASSessment goals done. I even scheduled in some play time in Second Life during the Super Bowl (sorry Bears fans...)

Right now it's 12 degrees and it's time to head out the door to start my work week... I'm on my second cup of coffee and as soon as the car is warm, I'm heading out with the optimism that a new day brings....

Good Riddance, January 2007!

2007-01-31T19:39:00.000-05:00

Here's looking forward to better months ahead! I'll be happy to see the clock strike the midnight hour in just over 4 hours. It started off on New Years Day with hours of delays and canceled flights in the Detroit airport on the way home, then my Dad's accident and his care, which took up the first couple of weeks of the month. Then, Jake's concussion, the Patriots loss, other crap going on, and losing one of my most favorite (but challenging) students today because he's moving to another city, all coming rapid fire .... and still under the growing shadow of the @#%%&@# ASSessment that has consumed me..... (and has caused me to feel guilty for even opening a magazine or picking up a book.)

On the upside... I still have my health, a beautiful family, and a job that I love (minus the @#%%&@# ASSessment) and my house is clean :-)

Still waiting on the snow that's yet to arrive... and looking forward to February vacation when I'm planning on painting my bathroom, working on You-Know-What, and hopefully PODCASTING... (something else that I love that hasn't been getting done of late...sigh...)

Slack Break...

2007-01-28T15:32:00.000-05:00

Taking a break from the dreaded ASSessment... grrr

Football Free Sunday...

2007-01-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

Seems kinda weird but there will be no football this Sunday.... no gridiron action to for anyone as it's the off-week between the Championship games and the Superbowl. Had things gone differently, I no doubt would be giddy with excitement about my upcoming trip to Miami... however it was not meant to be this year.

Instead, I've got an afternoon of ASSessment work to look forward to... and not much else... sigh....

Sigh....

2007-01-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes looking at your To Do list, it's time to just say "Screw it!" Today is one of those days... nothing sounds better to me than the hottest shower I can bear then crawling into bed with a book, and it's only 8:45pm. This from the girl who rarely gets in bed and shuts the light before 12:30 on most work nights.

Call it lack of motivation, call it the effects of an extremely emotional week beginning with the anticipation of the game and the butterflies leading up to it, to Jake's concussion and the worry and concern, then relief at the outcome, to the highs of the game to the very lows which followed... Call it what you will.

Loss... I'm numb

So on this cold, cold night, I'm going to be daring: leaving the list untouched and heading in with a cup of tea and a book surrounded by nothing but down for a great big emotional hug....

Sigh.....

Your Life as a Soundtrack

2007-01-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

Ok.. time for a break just for fun :-) I was reading my email and blogs and happened across this one from fellow podcaster Charles Cadenhead of Mostly News , who picked it up from CC Chapman's blog-tag game so I decided to take minute to do it too...

How to Play:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the nextbutton
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool …

Join in the fun and let me know if you do :-)

My Soundtrack:

Opening Credits:
I Am (Molly's Theme) by Munk

First Day At School:
What the World Needs Now by Burt Bacharach

Falling In Love:
No Such Thing by John Mayer

Breaking Up:
The Boys of Summer by Don Henley and Steve Porcaro

Prom:
This Too Shall Pass by Matthew Ebel

Mental Breakdown:
Too Many Fish in the Sea by The Marvelettes

Flashbacks:
The Lady Wants to Know by Michael Franks

Getting Back Together:
I Know You're There by Matthew Ebel

Wedding Scene:
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Ayla Brown

Final Battle:
Ocean by Lee Coulter

Death Scene:
State of Mind by Mike McGill

Funeral Song:
Per Te by Josh Groban

End Credits:
The Landing by Enigma

Finale:
Why Do I feel So Sad by Alicia Keys

Ups and Downs

2007-01-23T07:13:00.000-05:00

Great news... Jake's all set and has been cleared to go back to school. He's not able to wrestle or take gym for a week but other than that he's ok. The doctor said he most likely may never remember that day and what happened but he's remembering new things so all is well.

On another note, I'm still in shock over the outcome of my beloved Pats in the AFC Championship and it hasn't completely sunk in yet. To be up 21-6 at the half then end up losing.... I'm incredulous. The gammet of emotions swirling around that day (between Jake, the party and the game) has left me spent.

I just got an email last night from someone whom I don't know to tell me the outcome of the game and that I need to update my website... I needed a day away from it all and I DO have a job and haven't had a chance yet but that is on my agenda for tonight.... sigh...

Time for work.. and I'm smiling as we finally got a dusting of the white stuff last night :-)

Can you tell me, just one more time..?

2007-01-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Sigh... last night, I got one of those calls. You know which kind I'm talking about. The ones that start off with "Mom... I'm not sure what happened but can you come and get me?" Naturally, the heart begins to pound and you say "Of course, be right there." So, turns out, he was outside playing manhunt with his buddies and there was some sort of a tackle somewhere, somehow, and he ended up whacking his head on the pavement. He went out for a few seconds and had trouble seeing when he came to.

I was washing floors, so Al went to pick him up to bring he home but when he got there and found out what happened, took him directly to the Emergency Room. Along the way, he had no recollection of what had happened and many other facts as well. They did a CT Scan and took bloodwork and determined that he had a concussion but was fine other than that.

When he got home, he asked over and over what had happened and was fixated on asking what month it was and when the Freshman State Tournament for wrestling was. We answered all of his questions and I got up every two hours to wake him to check on him, each time crawling into bed with him to answer his questions yet again. It was heartbreaking to see my young man (who will always be my baby) getting so frustrated and overwhelmed because he couldn't remember anything but knew something had happened as evidenced by his headache and hospital wrist band.

As of 6:00 AM he began remembering some things like the fact that it was January and could "guess" by process of elimation who the Pats were playing for the AFC Championship tonight, although he was shocked to hear that it was Sunday, thinking that it was Saturday because he lost all that happened after 5:00 pm. This morning, he slept until 10:00 and is up now, still not remembering anything about the incident and what happened since then but is reading the account of his day that I typed up at his request so that he can read and re-read as often as he wants to. He's still having trouble retaining new information.

So, tonight we have a crew coming over for the game, and I've got some cooking to do but all I can think of is my son and hoping and praying that he'll have a complete recovery. As I told him, he may never remember the incident itself but his ability to remember things will increase and he's already doing so.

It's ironic that I deal with inquiries of "Are we going to lunch?" the minute we get back from lunch all day long from one of my students who has a brain injury. I calmly answer him each time and tell him that we just went and to check his picture schedule. I look into his eyes and see that blank stare sometimes and wonder what's going on in there. I saw that blank stare last night, and eyes rimming in frustration at his inabilty to remember. Hopefully, this is very temporary for my Jake and that he'll be back to his old self soon. He's seeing the pediatrician tomorrow morning but until then, he'll lay low and rest.

Assessments Suck....

2007-01-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

Whoever was responsible for developing the RI Alternate Assessment for kids with significant disabilities obviously doesn't have a life and thinks that people who have to do them don't have lives either. I can bitch about all the reasons why I think the assessment itself is wrong and bogus but that's a topic for another time... (I'm already ripped enough about it so don't want to bring myself down even more by drudging it back up right here....) Point is... I'm in over my head right now because of it and although I've done a great job this month of getting back to writing out my lists of things to do and sticking to it, I'm so behind and feeling the crunch.

Random things I would love to be doing right now instead of this crap:

yoga
podcasting
reading some fiction
knitting a scarf
cleaning (yes... a clean house makes me happy!)
working on my website
surfing message boards and reading up on my AFC Championship game bound Pats!
cutting some clutter (goal for 2007... pare down the "stuff")
chatting in Second Life
a soduko or crossword puzzle

So... my strategy to make it through is to schedule in a set time each day for Assessment and also some of the good stuff listed above so that I don't totally freak out! At least there is some good news for the weekend which will help. Nothing on the agenda except the Club on Friday night, church Saturday night, and usual errands. Other than that, I don't have to leave the house! Have I ever mentioned that I love being home? I'll settle in to watch my boys win the AFC Championship then get online to book a flight to Miami on Sunday night and go to bed with a smile :-)

SIGHHHHHHH......

2007-01-14T21:41:00.001-05:00

....that's the sound of me finally exhaling! WHAT A GAME!! It wasn't pretty but we put together some impressive drives and got the job done. I was so worked up I had to keep getting up and running across the room and doing the stairs a few times to get the energy out! Now on to Indy to take on the hated Colts... I must say, that of all our opponents, I view Indy as our arch rivals.

I still haven't processed all that took place yet but can you say Troy Brown?? Nice to see a vet play a major role in a huge game. Also, the significance of the 54 yarder that their kicker missed to tie up the game did not go without notice!

Post game, there were tons of phone calls and texts being shared: Erdo Ed, Zip (and crew) Stephanie, Robin, Mike, Karyn, and of course my peeps on the Skype chat... Time for one more Bruschi Brew then hanging out online while Big Al heads out to the smoking lounge (screen porch) for a victory cigar.

Looks like it will be New England Clamboil (lobsters, steamers, sausage, potatoes, onions, linguica, hot dogs) again to keep the mojo going...

I doubt I'll sleep much this week with the butterflies... Go Pats!!

Butterflies

2007-01-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

Up bright and early, showered, dressed, with a clean house, and I'm ready to dive into my school stuff... I've got butterflies in my stomach though in anticipaton of the Pats/Chargers game this afternoon. Last night I got a text from Karyn Paxton from the team hotel saying that they missed us and wished we were there. As I told her, if everything goes according to plan and the stars align once again we'll see them in Miami for the Superbowl in a few weeks. However, one game at a time.. and tonight is the one!

Go Pats!!

Long Weekend.. ahhhh!!

2007-01-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a week! Haven't had a chance to blog at all (or even read others') because I've been over my head busy. Coming home from the Pats/Jets game (Yeah Pats!) last Sunday night, I got a call that my dad had been hurt and was in the hospital. Life this week hasn't been the same! He's home and ok but I spent quite a bit of time making sure that he had everything that he needed and running back and forth to his apartment before and after work each day. I'm glad that I live so close and I was available to him... and that my schedule at work is flexible enough that I could sneak out on my free periods to do what I needed to do. Nice to see him today almost completely back to his old self :-)

So, I must say, I've been looking forward to this weekend for about a month. It's the first weekend that I didn't have things scheduled on my calender for the entire weekend. I'm smiling right now because I was able to finally take my tree down and put my decorations away and cleaned quite a bit today. (Silly me... things like a clean house are enough to make my day...hehe!) Tomorrow, we could have headed up to Zip's for the game but have decided to watch from home and make a New England Clam Boil instead. I so need a day at home on the couch to just watch and enjoy while still being able to get things done around here.

Monday is completely dedicated to working on that assessment project that I should have done during Christmas vacation but got sidetracked by my toothache. I also have an IEP to do as well so I already informed Al to pretend that I'm not even home... Monday is my work from home day! Times like this I wish I had an office... heck.. I always wish I had an office so that I could podcast whenever I want to without having to plan it just right when the house is empty.
Anyway, I'm thankful that my schedule worked out so well, and that the long weekend came at just the right time.

Ok... time to get to some more things on my list and cross them off!

Doing the happy dance....

Busy, busy, busy!

2007-01-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

Back to the grind and well into My List for today.. Our return trip from Nashville was filled with delays and flight changes so we got home 5 hours later than expected. I'm back to work this week and thankfully, it's been going very well. The kids have been behaving and the schedule has been a good one.

On the homefront, I'm being diligent about planning out my days and making The List for the following day. I'm committing to getting things ready the night before and getting to bed at a decent hour during the week... now of course, decent hour is relative and for me it means if I'm asleep by midnight that's early. So far so good on the lists and schedules....

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get much accomplished on my website and podcast this week as I've had lots of other commitments such as Mommycab Duty (ie driving the boys to Wrestling practice), shopping, cleaning, and meetings. It's already Thursday night and I still haven't even updated since before going away. So, I HAVE to do an update tonight before going to bed so it's possible that I'll be violating my bed rule tonight. As for the podcast, it breaks my heart but more than likely it's physically impossible without pulling an all nighter. The only slight chance would be to pull a quickie tomorrow right after work... probably not feasible though, since I've yet to prep.

This weekend is chock full: The Madeira Club to eat on Friday night, lunch at Casserino's on Federal Hill in Providence, Wicked at PPAC on Saturday afternoon, then shopping and cooking on Saturday night for Sunday's game at Gillette against the Jets. Thankfully, that game is at 1:00 so we'll be home around 7:00pm.

Then of course, there's coming home with the mess and work next week and a pretty full schedule as well. At least next weekend's calendar is empty and (hopefully) will include just a playoff game on TV. With Monday being MLK Jr. Day I won't have school so that's a bonus day. YIPPEE!! Maybe by then I'll be able to take down my Christmas decorations... sigh....

Now... if I can just make it until then...

Farewell 2006...

2006-12-31T22:47:00.000-05:00

Greetings on this the final eve of 2006! I'm sitting here in Nashville in the hotel lobby with Erdoboy who is also blogging away on his laptop while Bama and Big Al are smoking their final cigars of the trek (yeah, right!)...

It was a great trip; relaxing and delivering a Pats victory which is the best part of course! At the game, it poured buckets right up until half time and I was thankful for ponchos and for the very warm temperatures. So, sitting there in 65 degree weather getting wet is much different than a cold 35 degree soaking. It actually felt like a September game at home. Like our first trip here in 2002, the fans were very hospitable and friendly. The most obnoxious people that I encountered at the game happened to be Pats fans... (who started their New Years Eve partying early...) Pats closed out the game 40-23 and dashed the Titans hopes of sneaking into the playoffs this year... We just got the word that we'll be playing the Jets on Sunday at 1:00!! Yippee!!! My favorite game time!!

Rather than head out, the 4 mini-trekkers ate at the hotel restaurant then retired to our respective posts... (Ed and I on the couches and Al and Bama outside to smoke...) where we'll contendly remain for the rest of the night, until it's time to head up to prepare for our 6:40 flight.

I still can't believe that this year has flown by so quickly... It's been a year of change as well as a year of some constants. For each I am thankful for they are intertwined into the intricate being of me.... Each event and circumstance has contributed to where I am right now.. I am a very lucky person and I'm very blessed with the life that I have. In fact there are so many things that I believe we all take for granted. We each can find some blessings if we truly look, listen and reflect. Here's good place to begin:

You are so blessed

And while I have done so many things in 2006, there is so much more I want to do, read, learn, love, and live! Happy 2007 Everyone!

crossposted in 25th hour and patriot world

Greetings from Nashville

2006-12-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report that yesterday was a productive day. Of course, I didn't finish the huge assessment that I was working on because it should have taken quite a few days.. (those days lost to my teeth...) But, I did make the best of the time that I spent yesterday and pretty much stuck to my 15 Minute Block schedule..

Last night, went to a party at Louie and MJ's house and man... ate WAY too much! What a cook she is!! Unfortunately my mere 3.5 hours of planned sleep was cut short since I was sooo uncomfortably full that I couldn't sleep.

We got up at 3:45AM to get ready to head to the airport for our 6:15AM flight. Things went off without a hitch... nice smooth flights even though the planes were those mini 1 seat on one side and 2 on the other deals... I was totatlly pysched too because I finished two and a half good books on the flights :-) I hadn't heard of them before but the trilogy: The Christmas Box, Timepiece, and The Letter by Richard Paul Evans caught my eye in the library the other day and I'm thoroughly enjoying them. :-)

Right now I'm sitting in the hotel lobby in Nashville with Al, Bama and Judy checking mail, blogging away and catching up and awaiting the arrival of Erdo Ed. The team should arrive around 5:00 but in the mean time I'll hang here just doing my thing! Just give my my internet, a good book and buds to chat with and I'm good.

Two Oops.... forgot to clear the iriver and it's full so no ss tour unless I dump the last home tailgate to make room and forgot the ipod charger...sigh...must conserve some battery for return flights!)

More later on the trip...

(crossposted in patriot world and 25th Hour)

15 Minutes to:

2006-12-29T10:51:00.000-05:00

ok... here's the game plan: 15 minute blocks to get everything done today that needs to get done. Although I still have some discomfort in my teeth, it appears that the gum recession was the problem since the pain has dissapated since he put in some bonding material to close the gap. That side of my mouth is still tender but at least I didn't totally lose yesterday like I lost Tuesday and Wednesday.

So, here's the deal... I'm breaking up things into little blocks today and sticking to my schedule.

Read mail/blogs
Shower and dress
Straighten up house
Computer Break/Breakfast (NOW!)
Assessment
More cleaning
Break!
Assessment
Packing
etc...

Continuing on alternating Assessment stuff, household stuff, packing, and breaks until it's time to get ready for the party tonight at Louie and MJ's house. Tomorrow morning (what WAS I thinking?!) our flight leaves at 6:15... so I definitely need to have everything done before leaving for the party...

Ok.. eggs are almost done so it's time to get busy with this list! Wish me luck :-)

SIGH>>>>>>

2006-12-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Another day and night of pain.. and plans left undone... sigh.... Last night I was still in agony and I'm hoping that's its just left over from the dentist messing around over there... I'm drinking coffee at the moment and it's not killing me so hopefully I'm all set for today.

This week has definitely not gone to plan because of the frequent trips to the couch to curl up in a fetal position and try to overcome the pain... So, my list is growing and time is running out until I head to TN...

As it is now, I'm on duty and will be driving the boys to wrestling in 5 minutes then I'll head over to school to feed my fish and will likely run a few errands (shopping, library, etc.) before picking them back up.

I'm hoping to get a podcast done today and definitely have to get moving on the Assessment. Of course, doing the show requires time to do a bit of research, gathering info, choosing music and having a quiet house to record. Then, posting and post stuff takes about an hour... so, hopefully it all works out but honestly, if my teeth act up... forget it.

Oops... just noticed the clock.. I'm off!

The Best Laid Plans....

2006-12-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

are made to be broken... sigh... So, yesterday I had a huge list of things that I planned on doing and got up early to start tackling them. However, I started with an incredible toothache in the morning and that was the end of that! For me to resort to Extra Strength Excedrin you know it had to be bad. I literally couldn't stay at the computer as I needed to lay down and put acu-pressure on the gums to try to relieve the pain. I sent Kelsea out for some Oragel which helped a little but the entire day was pretty much a wash.

I just got back from the dentist and he looked around and couldn't see anything brewing there so the pain must be coming from some exposed roots where my gums receded a bit... He put some bonding material there and hopefully it will do the trick because first of all, the pain sucks and also I can't afford to give up any more days this week. I still have that huge project to get done and it's already Wednesday. I'm on Mommycab duty tomorrow for wrestling practice so I'll be in and out then. Friday night, we have a party and Saturday we take off for Nashville for the Pats/Titans game.

Well... time to throw in a load of laundry, straighten up a bit, check the rest of my email then get busy on that Assessment....

Tuesday Game Plan

2006-12-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

mmmmmmmmmmmm.... that's the sound of contentment :-) Holiday hustle and bustle is behind me and I'm well into my list of things to do for today. I'm off until next Tuesday and I have a productive week planned with some scheduled down time in there as well :-)

Yesterday was heaven... Besides making lunch, I did nothing all day other than drink coffee, read blogs and email, hang in Second Life, listen to podcasts, chat via Skype, do crossword and soduko puzzles and watch football. Now THAT'S the way to relax! Christmas is the one day of the year that is "my day" to just totally veg out. Now, I'm ready to tackle my list for the week...

Today, the goal is to work on a huge Assessment project for school. It's something that I'm required to do and I just haven't had the time during the school day to work on it. Once I finish updating my website and answering email, I'm clearing off the table and spreading out all of my stuff and I'm going to town. I don't have to leave the house at all today, and don't plan to... Another mom is driving the boys to wrestling practice today so I'm free to work exclusively on my project without interuption.

Of course, I'm going to schedule in some breaks in the action, both to "play" and to do other things like switching and folding laundry. Realistically, the project may take more than one day but it's so important to get it done early in the week as I don't want it hanging over me, I have other things on my list this week, and we're going away for the weekend so it's got to get done now...

ok... time to refill my cup, switch over the load and getting started on my web updates...

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T10:18:00.000-05:00

Ahhh.... Christmas morning.. one of my most favorite days of the year! With all of the shopping and visiting behind me, I savor Christmas morning to just drink coffee and relax. In the past it meant snuggling up with a book and I still do enjoy that but these days most of my reading is done online. I've read all my mail and have been reading blogs while chatting to friends on Skype, listening to Christmas podcasts, and surfing around...

Armed with a full pot of Starbucks Sumatra Extra Bold freshly ground and brewed coffee, I'm here savoring the quiet in the house... Al ran out to his parents for a coffee and cigar, Kelsea took off to Johnnie's and Jake is downstairs playing his Playstation 2 college football franchise. I've got the tree on and candles lit, and if it wasn't so sunny out today it would be very Christmasy...

As most know, I politely decline all invitations on Christmas Day (we've seen everyone by Christmas Eve already) and I make a ham for my family and my dad and I lounge all day. Christmas is one of the few days that I actually do that... and once I update my site (Pats win AFC East Championship yesterday!), cook and clean up, then I'll probably grab a book and hit the couch for awhile while multi-tasking and watching some football...

Soon the house will be filled with the smells of good food, the sounds of family, and good feelings of love and contentment... I'm a very lucky girl who has a wonderful family, good health, a great job, terrific friends, and an all around GREAT life! May you all be blessed with the same...

Merry Christmas Everyone :-)

No More Shopping!

2006-12-24T06:55:00.000-05:00

I made it... it's Christmas Eve early morn and I managed to get all the shopping done at last.. The sun has just come up and the house is quiet as everyone is asleep. I'm the first one up as usual and my body is still on work mode so I was ready to get up at 6:00 but stayed in bed awhile before finally getting up. The past couple of days have been hectic.. filled with shopping and prep. I'm glad that I can say that it's behind me.

Friday night, we had Al's department Christmas Party and headed to my brother's house to celebrate Christmas with my family yesterday. Had a nice long chat with mom on the phone during the day and shared a lot of laughs. I miss her and send my Christmas vibe of love cross country to her on this day... Today brings Patriots football in the afternoon then heading to Erik's for Christmas for Al's side. Tomorrow is a quiet day... my favorite day of the year... pajamas and coffee all day for me :-) I'll make a ham for my little family and my Dad but I've politely declined all invitations for that day as I look forward to a day of lounging, reading and relaxing.

Next week, although I don't have to work, I've got a lot on my list... tons of things that I've been meaning to do but just haven't had the time. At least it'll be like a mini-summer schedule for me minus the training camp. I'm sure the week will fly by but I'm determined to start right in on my list first thing in the morning but will schedule in some down time... I'm getting to the point where I need it. Time to give the body and mind a bit of a rest.

The fire is blaring and the coffee has brewed so I'm off to start my list beginning with reading email and Google Reader posts... I'll update the website, then, I've got some pictures to scan and some Flickr posting to do.. Of course, I'll be throwing in some laundry and doing some cleaning around here as well.. but that goes without saying.

I'm going to end now because I do savor those early mornings when the house is quiet, everyone is in bed, and I've got a steaming mug of java calling my name.

Merry Christmas!

Harried Holidays

2006-12-16T16:38:00.000-05:00

Home and insanely busy... have yet to Christmas shop, have a game tomorrow, still have to cook for the tailgate, got online banking to do tonight, have tons of posts and mail to read, and haven't podcasted in two weeks... sigh........................ I finally just finished the Miami Trek report and picture posting http://www.patriotworld.com/MrsB/Treks/miami06.htm THIS afternoon...

As I'm typing this, there's chaos in the house as Kelsea's setting the timer on the camera to take our Christmas card, and Jacob's screaming.. of course pictures should have been done and in the mail last week and we planned on taking a shot on the beach in Miami but the weather didn't cooperate. As soon as this is posted I'm going to get moving on all my stuff:

1. Finish putting away the groceries.
2. Do my online banking.
3. Choose a picture and head to CVS to make cards.
4. Start cooking for tomorrow.
5. Try to get a mini show out if Al ends up staying at Louie's house for awhile.
6. Clear iriver and camera and get stuff sorted out for tomorrow's game.
7. Sigh....

I just had to make the list as my way of not dwelling and making a plan. It's like when you wake up in the night with something on your mind and you need to write it down so you can forget about it and get some sleep. I'm not a bah-humbug type per se' but it wouldn't kill me if "The Holidays" never took place... too much spending, too much eating, too much running around, way too much stress, right smack in the middle of football season!

Ok.. things are moving along on the photography front so hopefully, my photographer daughter will have a nicely produced self-timer Christmas Card photo for me momentarily. God.. my head is starting to bang... I think I could use a nice cup of flavored coffee right around now!

More yelling... and still no pic... SIGH......................

Ticket Turmoil

2006-12-09T23:46:00.000-05:00

Miami greetings... I'm sitting here in the lobby of our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale the night before the Pats/Fins game and it's cold in here but quiet. Most of the folks have retired early, but a few smokers are outside having a last minute stogie so I'm here alone. The AC is cranking... brrr.. I'm not too keen on that but thankfully I have on my down vest that I brought from home. Weather reports there are in the teens so I guess I shouldn't really complain.

It's been an emotional trip this time around... We've done this trip for the past 3 years in a row with the kids, Bama and Steve and have usually gotten great seats through someone we know. We thought it was going to happen again this year but found out on Wednesday, the night before our flight that the connection fell through this year. So... I've literally been feeling sick to my stomach over the fact that there were no game tix, most especially because of Bama and Steve...

Well, after an ebay marathon, extra tickets through Lonie Sr. and extras from Joephoto, we're all set. Thank God! I feel a lot better now, and can relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend. They totally didn't blame me or anything but it really bothered me because I felt responsible. I'm so relieved that it worked out and that they didn't end up either in crappy seats or none at all... I so hate to disappoint people. It was especially hard for me because had it not been last minute they would have secured something a long time ago.

But.. no worries since we're all set! Now, it's time to get out of here and thaw out.. I think I'll head outside for a bit because it's warmer out there...

Go Pats!

Game Day...Thanksgiving Weekend

2006-11-26T08:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a very busy week with Thanksgiving and painting my Dad's apartment and just my usual busy life stuff. I've been behind on my podcasts due to the other things going on at night but my house is in order so that makes me happy. We spent a very nice Thanksgiving Day here and having a long weekend is right up my alley.

Last night, I put away all of my fall decorations and will pull out the Christmas stuff this week. Having a full month this year gives me some extra time. I'm looking forward once again to Christmas this year because of my reduced shopping list. Last year, I convinced some family members to pare down and choose a name rather than spend money that we don't have on stuff that we don't need "just because".

I've really disliked the holidays in recent years because they're just so stressful and commercial. This year, I won't be out there with all the nuts shopping like crazy and getting harried. Just purchasing for the kids is a huge relief and I can focus on the reason for the season and soak it in.

This afternoon is the Bears game and I got up early to make my chili and get ready for the tailgate. I'll be heading into the shower soon and will begin packing up for our 10:45 departure and 4:15 kickoff. Thankfully, the weather is nice... cold but sunny and dry. After the last home game, I'm relieved at that! The Jets game and tailgate was a sog-fest!

Well... rambling on about nothing really.. guess I should get moving. (Honestly though, it wouldn't have killed me if this was an away game... 2 hours of my life instead of 15 for a home one.... sigh....)

Thankfulness..

2006-11-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all... I'm here with the turkey and ham roasting, soup pot bubbling and a podcast under my belt already this morning. YIPPEE!! It's a rainy dreary day outside but warm and fuzzy inside :-)

Family will be arriving in about an hour and we're busily preparing foods and transforming the family room/Pats shrine to a dining hall. We're expecting close to 30 people and it'll be a tight squeeze but well worth it.

I'm such a lucky girl with so much to be thankful for... a wonderful family, my good health, a nice home, a job with kids and co-workers that I love and a pretty over-all comfortble existence. Most of all I'm am loved..... and for that I'm so very thankful.

May you feel as blessed...

Karen

Greetings from Minnesota

2006-10-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Minnesota! Big Al and I are out here with the mini-trek crew of Steve and Bama for the Pats/Vikings Monday Night Football game. We're hanging in the lobby of the hotel right now waiting for Steve to get here so that we can make a dry run to find the stadium and parking then we're heading over to check out the Mall of America. Later we'll watch Colts/Broncos in the lobby and wait for the team to arrive.

Life is good and we love to do our treks. Be sure to check out our adventures on the Trek Page of the website. We have a great time together and love to spend our vacation time taking mini trips. This was our first time to Minnesota and we're heading to Miami in December with the kids. Bama is trying to talk us into joining him in Tennessee on New Years Eve... he'll likely succeed...

Heading out soon... need to refill the coffee and take off. We gained 2 hours in our day yesterday due to the Central Time Zone and also due to the changing of the clocks for daylight savings time. I was awake for the day at 4:30AM as it was really 6:30AM for my body.... Had a great run on the treadmill and will do it again tomorrow. That's just one thing that I miss about summer...

Well more later...

sigh.....

2006-10-07T11:07:00.000-04:00

Heading out to PPAC this afternoon for Beauty and the Beast then I'll be shopping tonight for the tailgate food and cooking to get ready for tomorrow's game. This is another busy weekend with plans on Friday, Saturday and Sunday... sigh... I don't particularly like weekends that are jam packed... Thankfully, I have Monday off to do some of those usual weekend things that just don't go away just because I'm busy...

This hasn't been the easiest week emotionally... some real challenges at work dealing with behaviors and feeling overwhelmed in terms of not knowing what to do with specific students. Teaching special needs means just that... special circumstances surrounding each child... and sometimes trying different approaches and behavior plans to see what's the best bet... but it's hit or miss sometimes... and then, just when you think you've got it under control, things that worked no longer do and you have to come up with something new. I hate not feeling in control... and it's so hard to have to keep reinventing the wheel....

Sigh... just stuff piling on...

It looks like a nice sunny, fall day out there... and my house and yard are all decorated :-) Time to head out soon.

See Ya September

2006-09-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Well... the final day of September has arrived. It's a beautiful fall day and I'm gearing up to get some work done around here; buying and planting fall flowers, pulling out my fall decorations and cleaning. We've been planning on covering the pool all week but never got around to it after work so that's likely on the agenda for today.

Last weekend was jamming with plans.. thankfully this one isn't as bad. Jake's game was afterschool yesterday and we naturally went to the club at night to eat. Other than that, I've got nothing else planned except getting caught up around here with cleaning, shopping and organizing... speaking of which, I need to pull out my fall clothes if I can get to them in that disaster called a spare room.

So, the first month of school is behind me and it's had it's ups and downs. Mostly good but behaviors are starting to wind up which makes it stressful.... Still, nothing at all like last year! Not even close, thankfully!!

I'm disappointed that the frequency of my running has slowed down a bit since being back in school, but not expected. This past summer, I was able to run everyday if I wanted to, except during camp, but I still squeezed it in quite a bit. It's already noon here and I've got too many other things on my list today but I plan on starting the morning off with a run tomorrow... :-) I've gained a couple of pounds but not many so I'm going to nip it in the bud NOW! Tailgate season is always hard for me... but I'm determined not to pull a Football Fifteen this year!

Sigh.... podcasters are away at the PME this weekend and I would love to be there.. but it's definitely not in the cards for me... another story for another time...

Well... the sun is shining so it means one thing for sure... I'm going to take advantage of some of the last "hang it on the line" days while I can!

Busy Weekend Ahead

2006-09-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

Thursday night... and suffering from website server woes... gosh, I continue with my love/hate relationship with technology! Work has been going well and although one of my boy's behavior has been a challenge, I love what I do and look forward to seeing those kids each day :-)

This weekend is gearing up to be a busy one, with plans on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! I hate weekends that are so jam packed that you go to work on Monday needing a weekend already! Athough we're doing fun things: Mamma Mia at PPAC, a CF scholarship fundraiser, nice dinner at Casserinos, and the Pats/Broncos Sunday Night game it's way too much crammed into 3 days. Add to that two haircuts, shopping, and typical laundry and cleaning...whew!

The weather has still been beautiful here and I've still been faithful with my running which makes me feel good both physically and mentally. It's a good feeling to stick to a commitment and I actually look forward to hitting the pavement. I haven't been able to work it out to run in the morning because of the tight shower schedule here but I've been going after school which so far has worked out well.

It's just about that time to hunker down under the duvet... and get a good night's sleep under my belt before embarking on the whirlwind weekend.

This Ol Bod :-)

2006-09-11T16:50:00.000-04:00

First off... It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since 9/11... Like most Americans I can recall the exact moment when I heard...We were at school and I had to try to explain the unexplainable to a group of special needs kids. Not an easy task to do, to re-assure them that they were safe and would be ok, when even the adults were frightened and so very sad. Taking a moment to take inventory and be thankful for each and every day...

So, I'm a few days into being alone with Al overseas... I spent Saturday at Jacob's game and worked around the house and yard waiting for The World Travelers to call home and let us all know that they made it safe and sound. The call didn't come until Saturday evening and everyone is fine and Al said it's very HOT there. Saturday was actually gorgeous here as well... 80s!

The game yesterday went well and Jake and I pulled it off in terms of the tailgate and getting everything done. It was nice to be back with the regular crew and a Pats win (no matter how ugly) is always welcome!

Today is cool and feels like fall... (last night was actually cold... 40s!) I'm not ready for that yet!! Just got back from a nice double loop run in the Monastery on the trails there... As I was running I was thinking about how lucky I am to have this 42 year old body that treats me so well... Granted the bod doesn'tlook like the one I've had my whole life but honestly.. it still works really well! I'm so lucky to be so healthy and able to do most everything. I've especially been thinking about this as a very good friend's wife is having health issues and even in my own immediate circle I have loved ones that have so many things going on all the time. Short of the rare migraine and occasional cold sore... I'm healthy as a horse. (Geesh... I really should be quiet lest I jinx myself... ) But, seriously... I might only even get one cold every couple of years...

Of course, I DO try to take care of myself and my biggest sin is my daily can of Diet Coke but I'm very lucky to be free from many of the things that others have to deal with on a daily basis... Thank you, God!

Season's Change....

2006-09-09T08:20:00.000-04:00

Whew! Just where DID that summer go?? This certainly has been a quick one and a superbusy one at that... Quite emotional... seasons change.. and we're right back to school again.

I planned on blogging straight on through but hey... life gets it the way I guess. It was a very unique summer to say the least. We got out of school extremely late, then I worked for two weeks in July which was very intense and involved quite a commute. My brain hurt during those weeks.... and I was totally spent in more ways than one. July brought my favorite weather, HHH, and I spent just a small bit of time in my usual summer mode of hanging around here keeping up on the laundry, house and yard work.. then all of a sudden, I was at Patriots Training Camp every day!

Once camp started, it meant multiple trips back and forth to Gillette and an increased intensity with back to back double sessions for the first time since they moved camp from Bryant a few years back. It was tons of work this year and many nights I only got 2-3 hours sleep trying to keep it all together with the reports, website and podcasts... Weather was gorgeous...just the way I like it.. and I sported my "summer uniform" of shorts, flip flops, tank top for most of the summer except when I donned a Bruschi Jersey to head to camp.

Once camp finished, we immediately headed to NH for our vacation... I was incredulous at the speed in which the summer flew by and felt like I hadn't even relaxed yet and totally stressed over knowing that once that week was over it was back to school and the grind for me. Unfortunately, I was a total wet blanket there... unable to do the one thing that I enjoy the most about Abakee, park myself on the dock with a book in the sun to veg out for a solid week. The weather was cold and windy which didn't lend itself to beach weather.. It was GREAT to have the whole family (minus just one) together for the week but after just a couple of days of sitting around I was antsy and wanted to come home... I felt unconnected from everything without having easy access to the internet, I began thinking about all the things that I needed to do at school and home and just had too much down time to sit around and do nothing... Total Culture shock for someone who's used to having so much on her plate. Not surprisingly I had a real bad "let down" migraine for the first time in about a year... sigh...

Once we got home, we had the Redskins game that night, a wedding the next day and I've been back to school since... Thankfully, I have a great class at school this year and although scheduling things are just getting worked out now, it's been a pretty smooth opening...

So, some parts of me are ready for fall, routine, football and normalcy, other parts of me are unsatisfied as my favorite time of the year has come to an end... so many things that I yearn for and things left undone. Looking back, there were many things to be thankful for and I've grown this summer.... my goal of losing 10 pounds was met and exceeded as I lost 15 when I took up running again and made good choices for me... I've met incredible people and am thankful for all of those friends who touch my life and make me smile... I have the most awesome family and am so lucky to love and be so loved... sigh....

And now, I'm off to Jake's first high school football game in a little while and Al is just about touching down halfway across the globe, spending time with much of family in Madeira.. It should be a very different couple of weeks for me.. going solo, not something that I'm used to. Tomorrow is opening day of the Pats and I'll be together with my cronies... seasons change... but some things don't!

One thing is for certain... I love life and all it has to offer and I'm glad to be a "feeling" person rather than a numb person, even if feeling isn't always easy... and I'm taking it on Full Tilt Full Time (just like my boys Zip and Tedy B!)

July Rocks!

2006-07-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Summer is officially here... and although I have yet to sit by the pool this year, it's feeling like vacation. I love being able to get up and get my workout in first thing in the morning, constantly be able to keep after the kids and the little things that they leave hanging around and doing laundry and hanging out a couple of loads every day. These might seem like small things to some, but they are things that I personally take great pleasure in...

We're having a cookout on the 4th if the weather is nice.. and it looks like it's shaping up to be a good day. I hope so because these days, Auntie Karen has no toys or anything to keep the little ones busy if we're stuck inside. We've got to head out to Lowes at some point today to pick up a new umbrella as ours just broke. Also, the word for today is yardwork.... those 2 weeks of rain meant tons of weeds and my garden and flower beds need some real attention.

Thursday night, we attended the RI Italian American Hall of Fame Awards where Tedy Bruschi was awarded Man of the Year. We got to speak to him for a little bit which was nice. Head over to Patriotworld.com for pictures and a link to the podcast. Yesterday, we headed up to Zip's house for an offseason tailgate... (pictures to follow as well).

I've only got this week to get my new podcast off the ground because starting next week, I'll be attending a training at the RI Dept. of Ed. which will last 7 work days... (what WAS I thinking??) It ends on July 17th then Training Camp kicks off on July 28th so I'll be super-busy from then on... My "summer" and leisure time literally ends when camp begins. Don't get me wrong, it's my favorite time of the year, but when it comes, it means that I'll be on duty reporting, podcasting, and updating the site full time.

Enjoy life...

First Summer Weekend

2006-06-26T02:00:00.000-04:00

So, I've been out of school a total of two days... two very rainy days at that! I got out on Friday and right now it's 2:00AM Monday morning. Clearly, I'm in full summer mode already! It's my natural body clock to stay up late when I don't have to get up for work and I didn't waste any time moving towards that.

I'm planning on doing some "project" around here each day and this weekend it was rolling up the rugs, cleaning and changing curtains. So, there I was standing on a chair screwing in drapery rod hardware at midnight! Lightweight white and yellow curtains in the bay window lend the summer air to the house.

I'm hoping that the weather breaks tomorrow as I need to get out in the yard... I'm sure that my garden is over-run with weeds and I need to stake my tomato plants. Tomorrow's project, besides the garden is tackling that bathroom closet and tossing any old crap that's cluttering up the place.

I did my resistance workout this morning so tomorrow is cardio day. Hopefully, my knee begins to feel better soon so that I can start adding some running in with my walk.

I also want to head in to school to drop off my vacation feeders and put one in my fish tank so that they're fed regularly.

Time to hit the hay although I'm still wide awake so I'll likely read a bit before falling asleep.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE SUMMER VACATION!!?

Schools Out!

2006-06-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh..... Summer vacation! Yesterday was the last day of school and I'm breathing a huge sigh. It's been quite a year, and in retrospect, a year of growth for me. It went from being one of the worst years of my teaching career to one of the best. There were many, many challenges faced and overcome and many more things that still need to be done. (When I feel philosophical, I'll get into it...)

Today is a rainy, muggy Saturday and I slept in. Everyone is out and I'm just checking email and such then will clean the house. I love being able to stay on top of things during the summer. It's hard to leave in the morning with a clean house and come home after school to a mess... grrrrr! It's nice to be right there to "remind" the kids to pick up after themselves throughout the day.

I really don't have many weeks to just hang around because I'm doing a 7 day training in July with the Dept. of Ed. then Patriots Training Camp will start at the end of July and run through August until my vacation to NH. Right after that, I'll be heading back to school. At some point in August, I'll need to get back to school to set up my room. Of course, podcasting, training camp reports and website updates will take up lots of time.

I've got a few goals for this summer:

Yardwork
Paint
Garage/spare room
Read as much as I want/can!!
Stick with a fitness routine/lose 10 pounds
Kick off Muse with Me
Finish Flickr transfer
www.patriotworld.com migrate

So, that's a brief check-in for today... summer is my favorite time of the year and I'll post more frequently in the weeks to come.

The Honeymoon

2006-05-21T01:12:00.000-04:00

So, we headed out to Foxwoods for our 20th Anniversary honeymoon and it was an awesome get-away. After work, we checked into a beautiful suite, had a delicious dinner at the Cedars Steakhouse, had drinks and dancing at The Atrium and then spent the rest of the night in the casino. It was great to get away and spend some time together in that way... falling asleep in the jacuzzi at 2:30am and my new anniversary bling were also highlights.

I'm very lucky to have married a man that is not only my husband, children's father and lover but also my friend... So here's to you!

Check out that hair!! hehehe

Could it actually be.....

2006-05-17T06:45:00.000-04:00

the SUN?!!

Holy Toledo, there it is; peeking out of the clouds for the first time since May 7th. Could it mean that spring is finally here? I certainly hope so. Now, I love rain and looking out the window in spring to see the green world but this has been ridiculous. Not only had it been rainy but cold and raw as well. We actually have had our fire lit all week. Not something that's typical of May!

So, enough about that, today is our 20th Anniversary so it's off to Foxwoods for the night. But first, it's work for me.

Success!

2006-05-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

So, last we left off, I had been totally disgusted and had re-joined Weight Watchers. Well, after my first week I lost 4 pounds but gained something much more... control! Coupled with my Brain Gym exercises I'm heading down the right path.

I'm heading out in a bit to see my mom who just moved back home from her winter hide-away... I'm anxious to see her as it's been far too long. I can totally understand why she feels so good in AZ... it has been raiing and raw here since last weekend and we don't expect to see the sun until at least Wednesday. I'm all for green grass but this is ridiculous. I'm so ready for warm spring sunshine!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and we don't have any plans. My husband is working so I'll just hang home and probably curl up with a book. It's just as well for me since I prefer to be home than out anyway. It will be nice to sleep in a bit and do much of nothing else.

Looks like I'm in for another busy week ahead. We're in the homestretch for school though, which is nice! Wednesday will be our 20th Anniversary so we're heading to Foxwoods for the night and I'll take Thursday out of school... yippee!!

Thats It... I can't Take it Anymore!!

2006-04-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

Ok.. I've decided! That's it; I've had it.... I'm heading back to Weight Watchers this morning. Yes, I know what I have to do. Yes, I have all the materials here already. Yes, I hate to waste the money. But, there's something to be said about showing up every week and having to face that scale.

I'm soooo not used to this totally uncomfortable feeling. I've always had wide hips and big thighs my whole life and it's just part of my body. But this roll hanging over my pants and handles making everything I wear uncomfortable have GOT to GO! I lost 13 pounds on WW two summers ago but of course, the infamous Football Fifteen comes during the fall.... But, it's more than that. Not only am I the highest weight of my life, but the older I get, the more I don't like where it actually is.

Now, you'd think that giving up sweets for the entire Lent would have spelled some weight loss... no cookies, cake, ice cream, candy, chocolate, but NO! I don't get it! So, in a desperate measure, I'm heading out in 1/2 hour to begin once again. There is no way I would put a bathing suit on this summer, not even with shorts! Actually, it's not even the bottom half that's botherin me..it's everything about the waste. Oh,,, and all of you ppl that wish you had huge boobs, let me tell you, hauling around these cantaloups is very uncomfortable! I'm starting to pine over those small, perky ones that never, ever cause the buttons to strain and pop open. And talk about running... double bra isn't even enough and if you go for the triple, it's impossible to breathe!

So... enough rambling, I'm off to change and head out the door to plunk down my credit card and hopefully start to lose some weight before I go insane.

Saturday Stuff

2006-04-22T13:57:00.000-04:00

Saturday already! The week went by quickly but it was quite productive. :-) I got lots done in terms of school assignments which was good.

So, on Tuesday, we ended up going to Foxwoods and it was my lucky day!! I hit for 80 bucks on my very first try and cashed out that slip right away and put it in my pocket. Since I only ever spend $60 bucks each time, I already had my allotted budget (plus $20) back in hand. So, in playing with their money for the afternoon I ended up cashing out another slip for $100 and yet another for $350 when it was all said and done! Big Al wasn't too lucky initially but redeemed himself on the way out the door in hitting and cashing out for $200. All in all, it was a nice Tuesday date for us and proved quite profitable!

On Wednesday I went into school for awhile to get some things done there and fed my fish... then spent time online getting some things done.. My search for a new podcast name found that there already is a 25th Hour Podcast so that's out :-(

On Thursday, I spent the entire day writing, writing, and writing.... I'll be glad when the semester is over and it's summer!! Friday was spent running errands and taking the kids to the doctor's. My son is happy because he's now taller than his sister who has finished growing. Last night we headed out to the wine shop then settled in two watch a trio of movies.

Today is damp and cold... I've done absolutely nothing productive yet this morning but will pop in the ipod earbuds and set off to clean like the dickens...Tonight we're heading out with the crew for dinner and believe it or not, an evening of Rock n' Bowl! hahahaha!! We've never been, although teenagers like it.... :-) It's a cheap night out to spend time with some nice couples.

I've yet to do this week's podcast and may or may not get it done today but if not, I'll throw it up soon... I've got some research to do before then since it's a draft cast and I'm not really that up on the draft. I've also got a 5 chapters left in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that I rescued from the pile of books that I've been meaning to get to. I plan on finishing that before the end of the weekend as well as get my grades in order to enter into the computer Monday at school.

Well... time to get a move on, and get the Cinderella stuff underway!

Tuesday Tidbits

2006-04-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

Oh Happy Day.... I love Spring Break!! Have I mentioned that yet? I've gotten 3 assignments done for my class and hope to finish two more this week to get ahead so that the rest of the semester will be smooth sailing.

When I head back to work, I'll be super busy getting my Alternate Assessment portfolios finished for my kids in anticipation of the May 7th pick-up.

Special Olympics will be coming up soon; regional games at Bryant University in May and URI in June. This spring is going to fly then I'll be home all summer!!

Yesterday, I pulled all the weeds and cleared the brush in my flower garden to allow those early bloomers to break free... Daily bouquets on my kitchen island are not far behind.

I'm thinking of starting another podcast, something more generic and not so "niche-like" but I'm not sure exactly what it'll be called yet.. Perhaps the 25th Hour but I need to research to make sure that it's not taken yet.

Honey wants to head out to Foxwoods for a bit today.. I'm not sure if I want to but my house is clean, yard is weeded, laundry is caught up and I've been sitting at the computer doing classwork for 3 days straight so perhaps I'll give in and head up there for the buffet and for a little bit. We're not big gamblers but last time when we headed up for the NE Podcasters meetup I hit for $400 and walked out the door! After subtracting the cost of valet parking, 2 buffets, and what we both spent to gamble, I came out $260 bucks ahead which I used to replace my digital camera which had broken. Not bad!

My turn for the shower... more later!

Ahhh....Springtime

2006-04-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter everyone!

I'm breathing a sigh of "ahhhhhhhhh" for many small but collectively great reasons:
It doesn't take much to make me happy sometimes. Here it is Easter Sunday morning and here are some little things making me smile:

The sun is out and I've got clothes on the line... the smells of summer and the promise that it's right around the corner.

A spotless house... just because I've been home since Friday and have been able to keep on top of every bit of clutter and such that inevitably ends up on counters and the kitchen table.

Getting caught up on my class assignments....I'm aiming to do an assignment every two days during this vacation week to get ahead and put myself in great shape coming down the stretch for the end of the school year.

Looking forward to a week to get some yard work done and getting my hands in the earth. Working in the garden is therapeutic for me and is something that I totally enjoy when I have the time to keep on top of the weeds. I'm anticipating my first garden bouquet of the season which will continue throughout the summer.

Making plans to tackle that garage and spare room and getting rid of "stuff". I've found that I have far too much of it and need to downsize. It should be a liberating experience.

Reading some fiction every night before bed... it's just a little thing but making the time to do it and actually getting it done is a good thing for me!

Hitting the pavement and breathing in the fresh air and being thankful that I'm able to do it.

Thanking God every day and night for my family. I'm truly blessed with a great partner and two wonderful children. They are such good kids...

Stranded...

2006-04-09T18:11:00.000-04:00

Stuck in the airport.... along with the hundreds of others waiting for their flights. Florida got some long awaited rain today (just a bit where we were down by the beach in Ft. Lauderdale but apparently the thunder and lightening was enough to cause some delays here.
I
Funny thing is, I'm sitting here in my Pats gear and there's Mike Vrabel waiting for his flight in a nearby section. Haven't made eye contact and if we do I'll say hello but if not, I won't go up to him and bug him. I thought he might be heading up to NE but apparently not.

So, this morning we hit the pool and then headed over to Aruba Beach Cafe for lunch before heading over to the airport. We were originally scheduled to get in to Providence at 10:45 but who knows now... I do have to work tomorrow but at least spring vacation starts Friday so even if I'm tired, no biggie...

Oops...just moved our gate so I'm packing up...

Florida Greetings!

2006-04-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

It's been a month since I've posted here....it's just been THAT busy! I've barely got enough time to get much done and a lot has happened since last month. For one thing the weather has finally started to feel like spring on a consistant basis although, a.)it did SNOW on Wednesday for a little while, and b.) it certainly doesn't feel like spring to me right this minute because I'm in Florida for Melissa and Brent's wedding and it was in the 90's here so it feels much more like summer!

We had a great time today and always do when we get together with them. It was a beautiful wedding and of course, Melissa looked like an angel. Al and I are down here with all of his sisters and husbands/boyfriend. Of course we're staying at our usual Westin hotel and I'm sitting in the lobby typing while Al's outside smoking a cigar... gotta love that free wi-fi!

We're heading home tomorrow but not before we get in some quickie pool/sun time The rest of the crew got in early Friday morning so they've had time out there but we got in late last night so we didn't. No trip to Florida in April can be complete without taking advantage of the sun.

Glad to report that I've been back to the gym every morning and I'm feeling great about that. Leaving at 5:00 since turning back the clocks means getting out there in the dark again but that's ok. I've also started heading out for a power walk during my prep period.

This past week I was fighting the flu bug that ran through my classroom and I'm glad that it didn't wipe me out completely and I could make the trip with no problems. I'll post more tomorrow but for now, it's time to head up to the room.

Sweet Dreams!

Computer woes and lesson learned

2006-03-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

Computer woes again... one of the sounds in life that makes me cringe is the clicking of a hard drive. It's something that I've heard wayyyy too often in my computing years. Today, I've spent numerous hours online with Dell only to determine that my drive is dead and will be getting a new one. The fact that it's under warrantee is one thing in terms of the hardware but the aggravation of it all is another thing entirely! Having to reinstall all of my programs is a pain and especially tedious is downloading the entire website back to my harddrive from the web. I back up "files" but programs are a different story. Well... I guess I should be thankful that I haven't completely lost everything but I don't have TIME to deal with this.

Al and I were so excited to head out to see Phantom of the Opera at PPAC... We both love that play and have seen it live a few times in the past. We also have seen the movie at least 20 times... and here lies the problem. The movie version was almost too good!!. The characters were very likable as well as talented and in my mind "own" those roles. I couldn't warm up to the characters today...for various reasons. Usually at a live performance... especially such a great play as Phantom, I'll get the chills and/or choked up but not today. I have been known to have tears streaming down my face if it moves me. This left me feeling nothing...

Now, I'm almost nervous to see Rent on DVD since it's also one of my favorite plays... although, the movie version has most of the same cast as the Broadway play so the talent factor won't be a problem.

Well... going to watch the movie version of Phantom tonight...

Classroom Bliss....

2006-03-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhh! What a difference a week makes! I enjoyed a very productive vacation, then returned to work on MOnday morning to the new structure of my class list including an additional teacher to split the load. It's been absolutely a DREAM this week. Knowing that I'm meeting everyone's needs to the max is a great feeling. I spent a vacation week reading up on teaching methods specific to my lower group and have been able to spend as much time as necessary on things without feeling like I'm holding the higher kids back.

I'm still busy as all get out but at least my job is enjoyable these days and puts a smile on my face!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

2006-02-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

Wooot!! I love school vacation week. I've got so many ambitions and things on my To Do List but I'm thankful to have the time off to cross some of them off. I'm a bit sore right now since I got back to my lifting routine and today was a leg day. So, that means a few days of grabbing the wall to help me sit and taking the stairs very gingerly.

Things on my list this week: Working out, reading for my classes, taking two web exams, planning for school... Speaking of school, I've finally got a co-teacher to split the load with me and allow us to meet all of the kids needs. Things will be quite different for me when I head back to school after the vacation Finally!! It's been a very difficult year and it's a long time in coming. So, this week, I'll literally be thinking of a brand new program for my class and will be doing lots of research this week. Of course, there are tons of appointments scheduled for this week too, so it will likely fly.

Right now, it's freezing cold outside but we'll be heading to the hot tub for a soak before opening the wine and settling in for a night of movies and/or the Olympics.

Coffee's done perking so time to run!

Beautiful Birthday... and a Blizzard

2006-02-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

This was a great weekend. Friday was my birthday (29 again!) and it was a very good day at work (thanks kids!). We had cake and everyone behaved! It's nice when I don't come home from work frustrated. At night, Al and I went out for dinner at McCormick and Schmicks at the Biltmore. They print out a special menu with your birthday wish on it for you and throw in a free dessert. We had a nice quiet dinner and then went out for a drink while waiting to pick Jake and his friends up at the mall. Then, we came home, had a nice bottle of wine and watched some movies.

On Saturday, we headed out to eat at Casserinos then went to PPAC to see Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat which was a nice surprise. It's always good when you go into something without any preconcieved notions. It was quite enjoyable. Then, I came home, cleaned like a banshee.... Ahhhhh... one of life's pleasures for me is having a spotless house! We watched some movies at night (more wine :-) then went to bed awaiting the upcoming blizzard.

Today, it snowed like crazy!! I love snow and love it when we actually get what they predict. We've gotten over a foot already and it's still coming down. I think it's actually tapering off now and the wind is starting to die down. I'm still hoping for an extra day off tomorrow!!

The Winter Olympics have started... I've loved the Olympics since I was a kid and will try to watch as much as I can. Of course, we'll have to squeeze in our nightly Sopranos viewing.

So, today, I worked on some work from my class and got caught up on my coursework and stayed in my sweats all day :-) Like I said, it was a GREAT weekend!!

A New Week

2006-02-05T15:43:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the SuperBowl and it feels weird not being there. I'm actually indifferent about the outcome. I'll be watching but I'm not really pulling for anyone. On one hand, I'd like to see Bettis get his ring before retirement but part of me is selfish and I have a hard time rooting for an AFC team because I covet the 3 that we've won this decade. So, I'm actually hoping for Seattle... especially for Lofa Tatupu (who loves Tedy!) Pre-game is on and I just got in so I'll settle in later but have some work to do for my class online first.

The week was busy as always and I've started my classes so my time has been spread even thinner... Jake's wrestling again for kid's club and we just got back from spending 8 hours there. He's recovered from the loss last week, shook it off, accepted it and left with 2nd place today :-) We're not going to be able to go every week because of CCD but he'll make it to a few meets. Any extra exposure and practice is good. He's got a great work ethic and as mentioned in the last post, I'm extremely proud of him.

So... I'm off to take a test, read my email and grab a bite to eat.