I hate cleaning

I just spent 3 hours and 15 minutes in my classroom today cleaning.

UGH!!

I brought Piper along - I'm not sure if she had fun (she spent most of the time wandering around the room) but everyone who saw her thought she was well-behaved and beautiful :)

She didn't want to leave the principal's office (it was air-conditioned) she lay on the floor and was perfectly content to stay there.

I got a lot done, however, I am going to need to go back tomorrow to finish up. UGH!!!

I have to start packing today for the TX road trip - I haven't started yet and I leave Thurs. morning.

Tomorrow is a busy day - I am going to have to go back into school and clean. I want to make an appearance at the calling hours for a coworker's father. I also have a concert in downtown Ayer.

another year done!

Year number 4 is done. I am looking forward to year number 5, it certainly can't be worse. (I hope) Year number 4 was certainly an interesting one.

I have to go back on Monday to wrap up some loose ends, but I am DONE! WOohoO! Until I start up the summer job anyways!

no more vacation

Which means two things:

1). I have to suck it up for the next two months
2). THERE'S ONLY TWO MONTHS LEFT!!

I've been busy these last few days. Here is a taste:

**Gardening - We've planted a climbing hydrangea, two pink flowering bushes, Lily of the valley, an herb garden, an indoor rubber tree, and vegetables (not the boy's favorite). I have asparagus, lettuce, carrots, radishes, peas, beans, tomatoes both large and cherry, corn, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, pumpkins...I think that is everything...

**We uncovered the pool to begin the process of opening it. We filled the pool, and readied the filter with the exception of checking the sand. I hope to do that tomorrow. I fished out a lot of leaves, and the boy fished out a dead something-or-other (I didn't look to closely)

**Cleaning the house - getting it ready for visitors - we're still planning on having that ill-fated house warming party

**Brush burning. We burnt a LOT of sticks and brush two weekends ago. The pile was taller than me! Ask the boy about HIS fire adventures - good thing I was raised in a fire conscientious house - I had my bucket of water ready!

**John Philip Sousa Honors Band - I brought four students to attend the three day festival (which of course was during vacation). The students had a blast - which made it all worth-while. I ended up teaching a clarinet masterclass (two, actually) and had fun.

**Shopping in downtown Nashua with Jenn (sort of, everything closed at 4, so we didn't get to go into too many shops). We went out to dinner and out for ice cream. YUM!

**Planning my annual band field trip to Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT for the Trills & Thrills Festival

**Bought a new vacuum - the boy killed the old one. It's sad that I think that's cool....

And I am sure I am leaving something out, but I can't think anymore...I need sleep.

GREAT opening night!

Some VERY minor glitches aside, and WHAT a great show!!!

Seriously minor - for example:

Grandpa Joe is supposed to give Charlie a chocolate bar, yet had nothing to give

Radio was supposed to turn be turned on, but there was no radio

Candy man kid without a lollipop

Spotlight left on after blackout

Spotlight turned off when supposed to get larger

Other than those very minor things...

WOOHOO!!!!

is it over yet?

ugh...
worst ....
rehearsal...
ever...

Hopefully the old saying is true. Bad rehearsals=great show

It can only get better, right?

shameless promotion

Here we go again!

It's musical time again!! At least this time around I'm not doing it for the first time ever.

This year I am putting on "Willy Wonka Jr". The show is March 27, 28, and 29. Mark your calendars!

Today were the call-backs...I HATE this part. I like it much better when one person comes in and blows away the competition, it makes my job much easier. This year I had a hard time deciding between a BUNCH of characters. I had to call back students for Charlie, Willy Wonka, Veruca, and 3 of the mothers. It's so difficult to decide, but I think I made the right decisions. (I hope).

At least when I announced my decision to the students who had stuck around, they were all happy for each other, and were congratulating each other. It was great to see. No one seemed to go home upset at least. However, we'll see what tomorrow brings when the entire cast finds out.

first post in May

Wow...I can't believe it took me almost two weeks into the month to post!

I've been a very busy girl!

I'm buying a house, I'm planning a wedding, I'm cleaning my house, I'm crocheting, I'm grading papers, I'm planning a field trip, I'm planning a concert, I'm FINALLY hearing from my photographer for the first time!!, I'm conducting band rehearsals, I'm playing in band rehearsals, I'm playing in concerts, I'm attending bridal showers, I'm painting ceramics, I'm getting into fender-benders (don't even ask me about that one! stupid screw scratches in my bumper!), I'm getting my hair cut, I'm attending meeting after meeting after meeting, I'm babysitting (adults no less...grrr....), I'm figuring out how to arrange furniture at the reception, I'm rewiring the auditorium lights and mapping them, I'm making phone calls trying to organize all these things, I'm volunteering time to help at the snack shack at track meets, I'm attending first communion celebrations, I'm logging RSVP's for the wedding, I'm...

BUSY!!

'nuff said.

I'm also reading the blogs of people who actually take the time to blog...and I found this. I think I have students who would like to hire this guy to help them play the flute!!

Tomorrow is meetings with the Reverend and the organist. I think I am supposed to have a NVCB band rehearsal and the HS coffee house somewhere in there as well...

BUSY!!

Thursday blues

I despise Thursdays that feel like Fridays.

It's been a long week.

Monday: School, Elementary Band, High School Jazz Band, Moonlighters (home at 10)
Tuesday: School, Afterschool Lessons, Middle School Jazz Band (home at 7)
Wednesday: School, Afterschool extra help, Union Meeting, NVCB, JPs (home at 11)
Thursday: School, Staff Meeting, home for dinner, back to school for 5th grade orientation (home at 8:30)

and tomorrow there's a concert with the NVCB

LOOONG week

Saturday is more house hunting

LOOONG week

and I better do some laundry on Sunday, or I'm showing up to work on Monday naked.

All's well that ends well

Another concert finished. Overall it went well. There were, of course, some parts that could have gone better, but then again, when aren't there?

The kids did their best, and that's what matters the most...and of course we had fun (which is what really counts)

So here's to the next one!

I heard it through the grapevine

This is the video of my performance in my school's Lip Sync. We were the only teacher group, and the kids seemed to really like it! :-) They especially liked our dance move at the end (Soulja Boy).

Not much longer would you be mine....

Instead I heard it through the Grapevine!!

After our little lip sync performance, the boy said the wedding's off.

The girls and I told him that I changed the bridesmaid's dresses to our grape costumes, which was fine with him, because he said it would anger the bridesmaids more than him.

HA!

My hands are covered in marker

I hate when grades close on a Friday...because that is going to pretty much be my whole weekend. Grading papers. Argh.

FOOTBALLLL!

So I went to my first football game at the high school. This is my third year there, and I've only been to the one, sad to say. I had a lot of fun wrapped in a blanket from my car, dancing around to the music. Both the varsity and jv cheerleading squads were there. The JV girls are mostly middle schoolers, which is fun to see them outside of school. When I first got there a bunch of them all surrounded me and were hugging me. I thought "aww...they love me" then I realized they were just trying to get warm so I shoved them away! :-P

is there something I don't know??

We have lost yet another staff member in the middle of the year. This isn't normal. And this isn't just any staff member...this was the FREAKING DIRECTOR of special ed.

Is the ship sinking? Am I one of those people in denial on the Titanic that didn't realize the ship was actually going down until the water is quite literally above my head?

I'm not so sure this is a good feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Way too long

Working from 7 am until 6:30 pm every Monday might start to get to me after a while. Thank goodness for Monday holidays!!

I have a pretty busy week ahead of me:
Monday: HA! At least I am done with that!!
Tuesday: School all day, meeting at Peppercorn's for the Central District Music Educators. (at least there's food!!)
Wednesday: School all day, NVCB 7-9 pm
Thursday: School all day, MEETING WITH THE CATERER-WOOT!
Friday: 1/2 day of school, 1/2 day of meetings, then off to NYC
Saturday: shopping, Mary Poppins
Sunday: more shopping??, Spamalot
Monday: heading back to MA
Tuesday: and we're back to the grind!!

I deserve it!

After my LAST day of teaching for the year, and after an EXTREMELY killer yoga class, I went to the local liquor store to purchase a bottle of irish creme to go with my frangelico, kahlua and milk. There were some good deals on some wine, so I bought three bottles. When asked what I was celebrating, I responded that I was a teacher, and today was the last day of classes. I thought the lady was going to throw in a free bottle of vodka, seriously...

I'm a what?

I've decided to forego being a union rep till I have professional status, ie tenure. Otherwise, the powers that be need NO reason to say "see ya" as they boot me out the door. Union people understand, and are happy to have me on whatever committees I can fit into my schedule next year.

Our current union rep takes pride in her reputation as a friendly outgoing person, but known to be a "bitch when she has to". At today's ATA end of the year social, Lolly told everyone that I was her "bitch in training". I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered.

I distinctly remember saying no...

However, I think I may have just been asked to be a co-rep. for the union.

It's not a done deal...I've been asked "to think about it" several times, and would have to be voted in.

I thought I had said no, but perhaps I was mistaken...

I only have six words to say...

THREE

AND

A

HALF

MORE

DAYS






....nuf said....