November Already???

The first weekend of the month and stores along Hwy 6 already have Christmas decorations out on the buildings. Sheesh! I just put our jack-o-lanterns away!

Biggest travesty in automotive history seen on Keith Harrow Rd, pulling out of Glencairn - a nice 4 door Jaguar - with big shiny rims. I mean, c'mon, really?

The Illini won today! Yeah!

Nothing is nicer than getting a nice mani/pedi on a Saturday morning! Although, Michelle's salon would be at the top of the list, since they serve wine and other adult beverages with their services. Mmmm!

Chik-fil-a has Peppermint chocolate chip shakes for the holidays. I could have one every day, but then I would look like the cows they use to advertise! But they are really good. I'm also glad to see Starbucks Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread lattes back for the holidays. Makes grocery shopping a bit more fun! I am easy to please, too! ;-)

Time to take care of house stuff. Sigh.

Saturday Afternoon

GO ILLINI!!!!! That is all, don't want to create bad karma or anything!

Random Things Bouncing Around

Put things in a safe place and then forget where that safe plae is! Argh!

The thought of standing in a government office to replace missing items is not nice.

Mark McGuire as Cards hitting coach? Ahhmmm, OK?

I miss fall up north for the color changes. I dislike fall here for the temperature swings. Forty degree temp drops in 2 hours are not nice.

Holding a dog in your lap for a belly rub is good therapy!

I need motivation!

I Knew It Was Coming...

...just wish it could have held off for a couple more years.

We will be down to three for Thanksgiving this year. :-( I expected it, but still am sad. But now Gary and I are thinking out of the box for us (me, him and Chris). Not sure what we are doing, but if we travel, it won't be anything huge. We are going to Florida for Christmas, renting a beach house for a family vacation that does not center around a sporting event! Ch-ch-ch-changes!

The Week That Was

Monday I was at an awesome workshop that provided yet another professional spark, Wednesday I was navigating some choppy professional waters, and Friday I was spinning about 10 plates on those long poles. Let's just say, I am glad the week is behind me.

I absolutely love when I attend a workshop or meeting and it feels like the philosophy of the presenter fits me. I hate when people look at a problem and respond with "Well why isn't Person Y doing something about it?" or worse, throw a colleague under the bus. I love helping my colleagues when I can, better I love helping WITH my colleagues. I hate when I hear "Our kids can't do that" without even looking at the plan details. I hate when a teacher stands in the way of someone trying to meet a kids needs, but I hate it worse when I feel I am not meeting those needs. I love it when colleagues are willing to listen to you dump and offer a huge shoulder, a kind ear, and/or sympathetic words or a great suggestion. It is the absolute best when someone helps you carry the load.

I love that I can start over next week, and every week after that if I have to. I may not know what I am going to do, but it is still a chance to start over. I need to keep reminding myself to change what needs changing, not what is easy.

And I love watching Rowdy stare intently at the TV when there is a dog program on and the dogs are barking. The TV is speaking to him!

This Little Piggy or maybe Have You Seen the Little Piggies?

Pig jokes will be funny for about 20 minutes. Starting now.

A week ago today I was sitting at a baseball tourney, watching Chris' games. Sunday it felt like allergies were kicking in, although an internet search told me nothing was really high in terms of allergens. Monday the Mack and Peterbilt trucks hit me. Tuesday I did not even get out of bed - all day. I turned on TV, got a can of ginger ale, a bottle of water and some pretzels on the nightstand and started a cycle of watch a little TV, sip and crunch, sleep, wash, rinse, repeat. This continued into Wednesday morning. A 102+ fever decided to take up residence in my otherwise normally healthy body Monday. It kept a hold on me till about noon Wednesday afternoon when it teasingly dropped to about 100, then went back up to 101.

Thursday a trip to the doctor's office confirmed what an internet search caused me to suspect, I tested positive for H1N1. Fortunately I was on the downside and the fever was actually stayinig around 100 most of that day. By noon Friday I saw 98.something for the first time in days! And it stayed there. So that meant that I could resume normal daily life again Saturday (today).

We have all been hearing about this virus since last spring, and I am really glad I did not get this last spring. Talk about feeling like the town pariah! When I got to the doctor's office there is a big sign telling you to ask for a face mask if you are coughing or have flu symptoms. Seeing as I had both I did the responsible thing. Everyone who walked into the office after me avoided sitting near me like I was a leper! Technically I was not contagious, but I did not know that. It was a very unsettling feeling to say the least.

So what did I learn about this nasty flu virus? It is nasty. I get a flu shot every year for seasonal flus and if I ever get flu, it is really mild and very managable. This one sucked big time! I ate only pretzels and crackers, drank only ginger ale and water for 2 1/2 days, and after that really could only eat small amounts of really bland things like rice. I lost 6 lbs in 3 days on that diet though! The incubation period for this virus is very short - 2 hours to 48 hours at most. So I was exposed Friday or Saturday. My bet is Saturday since no one at school has reported flu symptoms yet. Gary and Chris both escaped it since neither have shown any syptoms at all.

So get your seasonal flu shots ASAP, and when they get the vaccines for this flu, run to get it if you can. I hear they are doing at risk populations first, but if you can get one, get one! If you are unfortunate enough to be exposed, plan for being down at least 4-5 days, and get a supply of Gatorade and ginger ale!

I missed 4 days of school with this. If it was last spring I would have been banned for at least 2 weeks from campus. Hmmm - maybe that is not such a bad deal after all. ;-)

Shameless Plug

Sweet Redemption by Leslie Follmar click here!
Two posts in one day? This is a short one. My friend and former co-teacher writes and sings her own music. It is awesome. Take a listen and if you like it, maybe you will think of a purchase. She is also on iTunes. "End of the Road" is my favorite so far.