still sick, but at least it’s a physical, not emotional, ailment.

hi kids! just stopping by to say hello. i think last time i wrote (like ages ago, 2 months i think), i had strep, and i currently have bronchitis (which i also had about a month ago). this pattern of sickness is not boding well for my time in the classroom.

i started student teaching 2 weeks ago, although last week i was only there one day due to (1) monday was a teacher in-service day, (2) wednesday turned out to be a snow day, and (3) i have bronchitis, so i didn’t go thursday or friday.

if i EVER blogged, it probably would have occurred to me during the last few days of extreme boredom to log on and write an entry or something, but no. instead i spent approximately 4 days holed up on my boyfriend’s burnt orange corduroy V-sofa watching seasons 3, 4, and 5 of Sex and the City and updating my profile on myspace. both extremely valuable ways to spend ones time, yes?

i somehow got conned into sitting through my first class meeting on thursday night–this is the class that goes along with student teaching, something about being a professional in all facets of the classroom, i don’t really remember what it’s called. i just stopped by to explain to the professor that i was ill and to pick up the syllabus, etc., but she seemed to want me to stay, said she didn’t think i’d infect anyone, that i could sit in the back and warn anyone who wanted to sit by me. so i stayed. i hated to miss the first day of class, anyway. though i did pick up my final project from her class last semester, on which i received a 100. did i mention i got a 4.0 in my 4 classes last semester? i was excited. i’ve never gotten a 4.0. but these classes are pretty interesting, so that helps. in fact, i should really be doing my reading for that class right now, but i just don’t feel that great.

last night C and i made the trek out in the nasty rainy, cold weather (yes, with my bronchitis) to see Jeff Tweedy in concert, and he was great. i love to listen to his voice. it has a special quality to it, and i don’t say that about many. he just has this certain substance to him, i dunno. anyway, i would have enjoyed myself a lot more if (1) it hadn’t have been 36 degrees outside and raining, (2) the people at the theater would have let us in when they said they were going to (the doors were supposed to open at 7:00, but we didn’t get let in till about 8:00), and (3) the dumb opening act had started when he was scheduled–at 8:00, when he didn’t start till around 9:15. seriously, people. what’s up with that? it’s bad business. and i think we all expect shows and concerts to start late, but an hour and fifteen minutes? that’s really pushing it. in conclusion, i like jeff tweedy, but i do not like rainy, cold weather, and i do not like bronchitis.

i’m really enjoying the teaching thing so far. at first i was a little skeptical, because it requires a great deal of patience, which is something that just does not run in my family. but i have finally accepted the fact that they are just 8 or 8 years old, and i cannot expect them to behave like little adults. because they’re not going to. it’s just hard sometimes because they are so serious, they SEEM like little adults. but then i overhear some of their conversations or some of the things that make them squeal in laughter, and i remember that no, they really are 8 years old. they’re adorable, though, and so funny.

of course there’s the one kid. he’s a sweet, very bright little boy, but he is apparently neglected by his parents, because he is constantly seeking attention by misbehaving, and when i do ask him to get back to work and stop whatever it is he’s doing, he’s the kind that pretends he doesn’t hear you (infuriating). on top of everything, the boy’s mother just had another baby last weekend, so now he’s got a newborn sister to contend with at home to get attention. not good. things are clearly going to get worse, though i can’t imagine how. i really feel for him because i never saw my parents when i was a kid, i spent all my time at daycare, like him, but it’s also hard not to get frustrated with him because he won’t stop for even 5 minutes most of the time.

the district i’m in is a pretty wealthy one, so that has been interesting. i think the first signaling factor was when the kids came back from the holidays, and half of them revealed that they had gotten the nintendo Wii for christmas. now, i don’t know how much that thing is, but i know it’s a lot, and i know in the school where i grew up, none of us would have gotten something that extravagant.

i worry about kids growing up today. they just have everything, it seems. and i understand that the parents want to give their children things that they want, that they want their children to have nice things and to be happy, but i’m afraid that these kids are not learning what it’s like to work for things. i don’t know, i’m just afraid that when these kids grow up, they’re going to comprise this entire generation of people who have no regard for anyone but themselves and have no understanding of what it’s like to struggle to survive.

let’s see, what else is going on? oh, C and I have been living together since july, technically, but you know, 3/4 of my stuff is still at my parents’ house. in march, we are officially going to move in together into a larger apartment so that i can actually feel like i live there, have space for my things, etc. so that’s exciting. i told him this is going to be the true test: us going to a blank apartment and having to make decisions together about where to put things, how to arrange the furniture, how to decorate. he has given me the ok on decorating, and i told him that he should really consider himself lucky for two big reasons: i hate pink, and i hate flowers. see? shouldn’t those words be music to a man’s ears?

i’m kind of worried about him lately, because he is completely depressed. all he does is work all the time. he doesn’t usually get home till 7:30 or 8:00 every night, and he goes in to work on saturdays, too. it sucks. i get frustrated because i only see him long enough to eat a quick dinner and get ready for bed, but i know it’s (obviously) harder on him. he’s been applying for other jobs, but no luck yet. he’s been waiting to hear back from the government for a couple of months now, and supposedly they may contact him for an interview soon, but the government is just such a long process when it comes to hiring. we both think it would be a great job for him, though, so i think it would be worth it. i’m just not sure he can wait it out at his current job for another 3 months. i’ve never seen him looking so miserable as he has the last month or so. and the bad thing is it keeps getting gradually worse. and the REALLY bad thing is of course, there’s nothing i can do about it. i think he’s always worried that if he wants to hang out with a friend, like today, to go watch the mavericks game and have lunch, that i’m going to be upset because we don’t spend much time together, but really, i just want him to do something fun when he can. plus, i’m still sickly, so it can’t be that much fun to sit around the house with me, listening to me sneeze and cough and blow my nose. speaking of: i’m out of kleenex, and i hate using toilet tissue.

i’ve been reading a lot of books lately, and i’ve discovered a new favorite author: elizabeth berg. she is EXCELLENT. i almost want to put her at a tie with anne lamott, which would be huge. anyway, you should totally check her out. here are some books i’ve read recently that are good:

lemony snicket, series of unfortunate events, book 9-13 (they’re all good).
anne lamott, rosie.
torey hayden, one child. (she is a teacher who works with severely emotionally disabled children and children with severe behavioral problems. her books are amazing.)
elizabeth berg, talk before sleep. excellent, but extremely depressing as it is about a woman dying of cancer.
elizabeth berg, open house. excellent, and not nearly as depressing!

i’ve got to say, i really can’t imagine how this semester is going to be, because starting tomorrow i’m going to be working full-time at the school and taking 2 classes at night, one of which goes until 10:00, and then i’ll have to drive 30 minutes back home, and it’s just going to plain suck. not to mention i’ll probably be doing a show with the theater group in early april. oh well. i’m sure things will work out; they always do.

got to run and blow my nose again…ciao!