Where or Where Has All the Time Gone?

A month?! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post....
Time has been severely lacking.... no, I take that back. Time has been the same as always.... I have just been cramming far more into my days than is desirable (or healthy) to do.
Directions to my day:
Step 1: Wake at 6ish.
Step 2: Teach all day.... they could be angels, they could be monstrous, you never know until you get there.... ah, the wonders of substitute teaching.
Step 3: Eat in the car while on the way to work the evening/weekend job.
Step 4: Work until 10:30ish and get home by 11/11:30ish.
Step 5: Organize for next day then sleep.
Step 6: Wake and Repeat.
Enough complaining.... I hear enough from the kids and the customers.
Christmas is fast approaching and there is much to do.... I love Christmas.... Actually, I think I love the traditions and family time more than the gift-giving.... although it'd be a close race.
I had to teach the kids about Kwanzaa today.... I think I learned just as much as they did.... maybe more. Swahili is a great langauge and Kwanzaa is such a noble celebration.... all about traditional family values.... unity, self-determination, purpose, creativity, faith.... and all that good stuff. I think that we get so wrapped up in the "magic" of Christmas -- Santa, presents, reindeer -- that we sometimes tend to gloss over the really crucial stuff -- family, love, forgiveness.... and all that good stuff.
So, Merry (early) Christmas, Happy (early) Kwanzaa, Happy (early) Hanukkah, and Happy (early) ____________. Fill in the blank, if I missed your choice of celebration. :)

Take Care,
-Rach-

P.S. Just one last complaint, if I may..... I sincerely detest the song "Little Drummer Boy". The Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum line really irritates me.

A Day or Two in the Life of a Substitute Gym Teacher....

1) Get to a school (the first day) and find out that you'll be teaching gym not in a gymnasium ('cuz that'd be silly, right?!), but practically in the main front hallway area of the school.... without any gym equipment whatsoever.... having endless variations of "Tag" in the back of your mind can be a lifesaver.... Freeze Tag, What Time is it, Mr. Wolf?, T.V. Tag, Toilet Tag (not as gross as it sounds), 4 Corners, Olly Olly Octopus, etc., etc., etc.

2) Get to the school (the second day) and find out that once again, you do not have a gymnasium to teach in..... Remembrance Day assembly, this time. Have to go play Heads-Up 7-Up in a classroom for 20 minutes....

3) Spend a combined total of a 1/2 hour wandering aimlesslessly around the playground during recesses breaking up fights over bouncy balls and whether it is fair to take the swing of someone who jumped off mid-swing just for fun and plans to get right back on.

4) Decide that "You know it's a good day when.... you ony get told to 'Leave me the F&*% alone' by a 9 year old, ONE time in a day."

5) Spend approximately an hour blowing up basketballs, volleyballs, and soccer balls only to discover that 1/3 of them are so old and leaky that they are flat 10 minutes later.

6) Befriend the secretary and the custodian.... they'll be some of your most useful alliances should you ever get a job there.

7) Discover that playing a combined total of 6 hours of Dodgeball makes you more sore than you could have ever possibly imagined....

8) Realize that, because subbing is on a fluctuating, as-needed basis, you still have to work your second job for several hours each evening and weekend, even after long days of teaching.

And somehow, despite all of these things.... and probably even because of them.... I continue to love the job.

Commonly Confused? Nah.

I have a strange penchant for spelling and grammar.... thus, I love tests like the one I found on http://www.okcupid.com ..... Yes, apparently this is a dating site (not my intention) ..... But it also has some fun quizzes (just scroll to the bottom of the page). Try 'em out, if you wish!

This is the message I received when I completed the " Commonly Confused Words" test:

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 86% Advanced, and 86% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Heheh..... I like being referred to as a genius.... even if it is by some random, computer-generated response. Still feels nice.

What Are Your Needs?

So, I admit that I stole this off of Jon's blog (who stole it off of Stacy's blog), which I visited when he posted on mine after going through Fu's blog.... aiyaiyaiy, the intricate intertwining of people's musings....

Anyways, this is great.... find out what you are in desperate need of by typing in [your name] needs, on Google.... (FYI, the Google phrases are in blue while my responses are in green).

Apparently....

1) Rachel needs to have blush that is very bright and colourful. (Don't I always??)
2) Rachel needs your prayers. (We all do....)
3) Rachel needs £5000. (That would sure help with the aforementioned new-used car.)
4) Rachel needs help when she enters Manhattan's meat-packing district to help three transvestite hookers find out who murdered one of their friends. (Did they really have to add in "meat-packing"?! :)
5) Rachel needs guidance and normal supervision. (I sound like someone who bangs their head on the wall, just for fun.)
6) Rachel needs help with a question on "Value Laddering". (Sure do.... the question is "What in the world is Value Laddering?")
7) After class is over, Rachel needs time to chill out. (Gotta chill before I "meat" up with my friends in Manhattan....)
8) Rachel needs a patient family that will be able to provide her with unconditional love, structure, guidance and security. (There's that guidance thing popping up again....Head + Wall = BANG!)
9) Rachel needs distraction and action. (Distraction?.. maybe. Action?.. ;)
10) Rachel needs to just be understood. (*sigh*)
11) Rachel needs to get on her boot camp workout. (I'll get right on that, thank-you-very-much.)
12) Rachel needs to stop kidding herself, give up music and keep posing provocatively in those glossy mags. (Haha, I'll stick to my day job, for now....)
13) Rachel needs a bit of fuelling up in the evenings because she needs lots of energy for the morning. (Especially if boot camp starts early.)
14) Rachel needs another huge hit to get the album out. (I'm working on a rockin' compilation of nursery rhymes for my students.)
15) Rachel needs a photo of the three of you together in China for her baby book. (That would be nice.... but who are the three of you and why are you in China together?)
16) Rachel needs to uncover every bit of information to get to the root of the problem. (I'm thorough like that.)
17) Rachel needs special mention for getting her a#@ out of bed when everybody else was busy sleeping their hangover through, and running to the park. (Well, I don't drink, but I'd still appreciate a special mention for getting out of bed....*bow*)
18) Rachel needs to finish her sketch soon so she can record the title in her book and go on to another painting. (You took too long to send me that China Threesome picture, so I'm drawing it myself.)
19) Rachel needs to win HOH to stay safe when she takes Howie off the block, thus requiring Beau to put up someone, and it'll most likely be James. (Poor James....)
20) Rachel needs to see her vet. (Apparently, Rachel is a cat.... or a dog.... or maybe an iguana. Oh, how I hope I am an iguana!)
21) Rachel needs to build real credentials before leaping to columnist, unless she wants to write for teen periodicals the rest of her life. (Who says Teen People and Tiger Beat don't count as real credentials?!)
22) Rachel needs to do something to differentiate herself. (That's what the blush is for....)
23) Rachel is a bright young girl who needs to learn some cooking skills. (C'mon now, the microwave is so underrated as a legitimate cooking appliance.... you can create feasts with it.... seriously.)
24) Rachel will need to pass a car seat test, too. (I forgot to study.... anyone have a cheat sheet for that one?)
25) Rachel needs to wear some armor in this line of work, because the venus flytraps she produces don't exactly favor plain old flies. (I truly am at a loss for words on this one....)

Hope you enjoyed.... and feel free to steal the game.... I sure did.

Cars and Lightbulbs.... Huh?

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post.... wow, how time flies.

Anyways, after approximately 3 arduous and frustrating, yet exciting weeks, I have finally made my biggest purchse, thus far in all my years. I am now the proud owner of a golden Honda CR-V. They took an arm (and may approach me for a leg) as downpayment, but it was worth it (I say now, before the bank account begins to dwindle). Good vehicle.... not too many bells and whistles.... but, I kind of like the reliable simplicity of it. And the mini picnic table that is folded into the floor of the trunk area is pretty cool, if I may say so myself.

I may just move into it and become an aimless wanderer of the world.

More about the vehicle and the ordeal surrounding it, later.

On another note....

I had a lamp (without a lampshade, I admit) sitting on my floor and had just replaced the lightbulb with some high-tech bulb with three levels of light, which is supposed to last 1 year. So, I happened to brush against this lightbulb (literally for a split second) and guess what happened.... there was this odd aroma, and after a second, I felt this pain.... In a nanosecond (not sure of the definition of that word, but it sounds fast), this bulb had managed to melt a hole right through the leg of the pants I was wearing (one of my favourite pairs, by the way), and slightly burn my leg (there's no visible burn, but I sure felt it)! And there's this weird scorched mark on the inside of the lightbulb, too.... this can't be normal. Can you imagine if it had a lampshade on it? It'd probably have sent my room up in flames. I wonder if I should write a sternly-worded letter to the light bulb people, whoever they are.... hah, they'd probably just send me a coupon for more lightbulbs!

It's All About You....

Ever noticed how people just adore talking about themselves?

I have become quite skilled in carrying on entirely one-sided conversations. It's funny how few people actually exhibit interest in the lives of other people. A simple "And you?" thrown into a self-absorbed monologue would do.... but many people can't even manage that much.

I believe that I learned the life story of one new co-worker recently, and I bet that she couldn't list three things that she knows about me.... Yah, I suppose I could just go off about my own life, without being asked, but after a while, it kind of becomes a little amusing to see how long one person can rant about themselves while showing an amazing lack of interest in the listener.

And, if such an individual is really not interested in the goings-on of the listener, couldn't they at least feign a slight interest and relative politeness with an "And you?", and allow the listener to get in a few words edgewise, before redirecting the conversation back to their favourite topic.... themself.

And, at the same time, maybe the listener is almost equally to blame for such a situation..... maybe us listeners just have to come to the sad realization that some people are so wrapped up in themselves that they simply forget that other people may have their own intriguing stories that they'd like to share.

Possibly, those passive listeners need to become a little more obtrusive and force the one-sided conversation into two-sidedness.

Just a thought.

A Moment of Silence, Please....

Let us all take the time to offer a moment or two of respectful silence and remembrance for all of those devastated by the horrific occurrences of September 11th, 2001, in the United States of America. Yet, amidst the mourning, let us not forget the exceptional acts of humanitarianism and compassion for human suffering that was shown, not only by so many wonderful Americans, but by individuals and groups around the globe. May such compassion continue to be offered to those in need, throughout the potentially lengthy aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.