Do I really want to do a resolution this year?

It is the last day of 2008. Where did the time go?

The weather is ok. I think we are going to be in the upper 20's to low 30's over the next 7 days with no real snowfall in the forecast.

Not much on the agenda for today. I will work most of the day but will probably knock off a little early. I have accomplished everything I needed to get done over the break so I am hoping today is an easy day.

Jess is going to a New Years Eve party tonight but her basketball coach has scheduled practice for 7 am tomorrow. He is worried about them drinking but of the girls on the team, one of them is the principal's daughter, one is the athletic director's, on is the valedictorian of the senior class and she never even goes out, one is home schooled and her parents barely let her leave the house, and then there is Jess. I don't think he has too much to worry about.

I do think it is funny that they have practice that early and can't wait to wake Jess up tomorrow. She will be a complaining machine...lol

Drew is having his birthday party here tonight. He always has his birthday party on New Years Eve. There will be 7 boys here tonight. Pray for me.

Visitation for Nancy's mom is Thursday night and the funeral is Friday morning. I plan on taking Friday off and going to the funeral.

I hope everyone has a safe New Years Eve. Goodbye 2008.

Kind of blah!

The weather is ok. Not too cold but not that warm either. Kind of just a normal winter day.

The funeral for Nancy's mom is Friday. It is a rough way to start a new year.

Work has been a bit dull. I have been keeping busy but there isn't anyone around and with Nancy being gone it is a quiet place.

I did have a lot of calls yesterday but nothing too serious is going on at the school.

The kids have been busy this week already. Jess is hardly ever home anymore. She had practice in the morning and there is a group of kids that hang out together. They just go to someone's house and play cards or watch movies and hang out.

Drew stayed overnight at Dawn's parents house Sunday night, his cousins were over so he stayed to play with them. He stayed overnight at a friends house last night.

Both kids have basketball practice every day this week so at least they are getting some exercise.

I took video of the kids and me racking the yard and burning leaves this fall. I put the little clips all together on a video and I need to burn it to DVD. It is pretty comical and it will be good to look back on.

I really need to take more video. It isn't that hard and being able to burn it to DVD really will keep it safe for a long time. The days are slipping by and pretty soon it will occur to me that I have missed my chance.

Speaking of that, Jess reminded me the other day that she only has one more Christmas that she will be living at home. UGH!

Ok, I am heading out for the day.

Passing

Nancy's mom passed away at 6:30 last night. Nancy said she went peacefully and it is good that she is now at peace. She had her sisters and family around her as she passed. I am sure she felt endless love as she drifted away.

It is hard to think of things to say at times like this but it is something that I am sure is very emotionally draining.

I think the funeral is Wednesday.

A time for memories

We have good weather today. The high is expected to be 48. I hope most if not all of the snow on my driveway melts.

Nancy had a rough Christmas. Her mom was sent the the emergency room Christmas Eve and was put in hospice on Christmas day. The family is gathered around and her dad was taken to stay with her. It is a rough time for them so keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I have a candle lit here for her. I will keep one lit throughout this tough time.

I will write more Monday.

"Along the Road"

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way.
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things
I learned from her
When Sorrow
walked with me!

-Robert Browning, Poet

I do have adventures

So it has been cold and snowy. We had a few more inches last night and it is going to be snowy the next couple of days.

Today is Christmas eve and I am going to work for about half the day. Drew turns 14 tomorrow and I have to get to the store and buy stuff for his birthday dinner.

So my car has had a window issue for the last 6 months. The passenger side window wouldn't work. I have it taped up and when I took it to the mechanic (when it first broke) he said I needed to go to a body shop to get it fixed and it would be around $300.

That in itself sucks but yesterday I was at Burger King going through the drive-thru and my driver side window stuck in the down position. Ok, now that really sucks because it is cold and going to snow. So I bite the bullet and take it to the body shop. They fix both windows and it was a little over $400. At least my windows work now.

Jess had oral surgery yesterday. She had her wisdom teeth removed. She did fine but was a bit grumpy when she got home. A bunch of her friends came over and watched movies with her. I think there were 15 people that were in and out of the house last night. They brought her a shake and pudding. They all took off their shoes when they came in so the front living room looked like FootLocker.

I made creamed tuna on mashed potatoes for dinner. Both the kids really liked it so that was a good thing.

I got my TomTom GPS yesterday. The damn thing doesn't work. It starts up and has a big flashing X on the screen. I am going to have to call tech support. I looked online but I am not sure what the deal is. I have been waiting for the damn thing for a week and I finally get it....broken.

Ok, off to start my day. Merry Christmas!!

Frigid----I wish!

It is cold as heck today. I think yesterday had a high of -1 and today is going to get to a few degrees above zero. The wind is blowing like crazy and this sucks!

Christmas at Jenny's was fun. They had soup and sandwiches for lunch and they were very good. The presents were nice and I think everyone had a good time. Anthony had a game and Jess went with Angie and Dale to watch. It ended up going into overtime and Anthony's team won with a half court shot as time expired.

The trip to Lincoln was bad. The snow was blowing the wind was bad, the roads were icy and it was snowing. We had a lot of issues until we got past Omaha. The weather was fine on the way home.

Nancy took care of Molly while we were away. She gave Molly a bath and lots of love. She also put a Christmas ribbon around her neck. It was cute.

Sunday I took a small nap and woke up with the worst headache I have had in a long time. It was KILLING ME! I ended up going to bed around 7 pm and I think the headache went away around midnight. I hate headaches.

I have a few vendors coming in to do work at the school today. I also have some work of my own to do. It is going to be cold as can be and I don't want to spend much time outside

Jess gets her wisdom teeth removed tomorrow. She has oral surgery, they are putting her under and cutting them out around 10. I hope she recovers quickly.

Christmas is just a few days away.

Off to start.

The Ice Man Cometh

We are supposed to get about a 1/4 inch of ice on everything this evening and 1-3 inches of snow on top. Whoo-hoo!!!

I hate winter!

Drew was sick yesterday. I got him up to go to practice and as we were just about to head out and he ran to the bathroom. The word "explosive" comes to mind but I won't go into details. In any event, he stayed home. He is up and about today and ready to go to practice.

He gets his braces on today. He already has that thing in the roof of his mouth and he will have the braces added to that today so he will literally have a mouth full of metal.

I took Jess to volleyball practice last night. I went to Walmart and bought some groceries and then to Menards to get new shovels. She is getting her wisdom teeth out on Tuesday. She has to have surgery and they are cutting away some bone to get them out. I would imagine she will be sore for a couple of days.

Both kids will be suffering for their teeth this Christmas break.

Saturday is the big Nichols family Christmas. It is at Jenny's this year. I have never been to her house so it will be nice to see it.

Off to start.

Well, the weather outside is frightful.........

Cold, cold, cold. This weather is unpleasant.

Yesterday we had a couple inches snow and it was a little icy but not too bad. We were scheduled to play Winterset but they called to postpone it because they said the weather was too bad.

I really think we should have had the game but whatever.

On the bright side, I got my driveway and sidewalks shoveled off.

Nothing on the agenda for today. I am really just waiting for the Christmas break. There are a couple of projects over the break and we are all set but seem to be just waiting until we can start our work. I think it will be slow in the office the next few days.

So I got my new TV last week and I love it. I can plug my computer directly into it and stream TV shows from the web. It works great. I watched two episodes of "Fringe" last night. I love that show but was never able to watch it because it was on when I taught class. I really like being able to watch TV shows online especially since I can watch them on my TV now. It ROCKS!

Jess has volleyball practice in Ankeny tonight. I think I will take her. I can do a little shopping, I am looking for a new TV stand. The weather isn't very good so I don't want her to drive down by herself.

We are supposed to get an ice storm on Thursday. Then it looks like more snow Saturday night and then even more snow Monday into Tuesday.

Off to start.

Ok, enough of the arctic blast

The weather is still pretty sucky and it is going to be more sucky as the day goes on. We are expected to get a bunch of snow and wind today and freezing rain and more snow on Thursday. It is very cold.

Just 4 days until Christmas break here in Perry. It is something to really look forward to.

I have a meeting this morning at the admin center, which really kind of stinks because I wouldn't drive to work today if I didn't have to go to that meeting. I usually park my car at the school and leave it there but with the snow coming they will have to plow the parking lot and I can't have my car there when they do that. I guess I will be driving to and from work today.

I made a roast for dinner last night. It was Nancy's idea. She said she wanted to go home during lunch and put a roast in the crock pot. I thought it was a good idea so I did the same. So it was roast, mashed potatoes and rolls for dinner. Not bad for a Monday night.

It completely drives Jess crazy to not know what she is getting for Christmas. She shakes the packages every night. It kind of reminds me of the squirrel from Willy Wonka's factory. It shakes the nut and listens. Too funny.

Jess and Drew are both supposed to have games tonight. I am kind of doubting that they will happen because of the weather headed our way. My guess is we will have an early out.

Not much more on the agenda.

Off to start.

Shiver me timbers

It is cold as can be today. I think the high will be 3 degrees. The wind is blowing like crazy as well. This stinks!

The weekend was ok. I got my Christmas shopping done. It wasn't pleasant but it is good to have it done.

Jess had games Friday and Saturday. They lost on Friday, pretty bad, but it was to the number one team in the state. Saturday they won and Jess had a great game. She scored 24 points and shut down the other teams best offensive player. I think that girl only scored 5 points and she usually scores 20 a game.

They are supposed to have a game Tuesday but the weather may put that in jeapordy.

Drew had a game Friday. He scored 6 points and did a good job. They lost but he learned a little bit about how to play more aggressively and I think he will get better as the season goes on.

Christmas break is just around the corner and I can't wait.

I took some pictures this weekend and will post them sometime this week.

Off to start.

Friday is like the prodigal child, you are always excited for its return

Still cold but the weekend is going to be in the low 40's. I think we are in for snow Sunday night or Monday.

Jess had practice last night so Drew and I headed to Ankeny with her to do a little Christmas shopping. We watched a bit of practice, one of the dads there was getting on my last nerve, so we headed out.

We went to Kohls and as we were walking around we came across two chairs with the massage things on them. Since we it had been a long day we decided to take a little break and get a chair massage. So there we sat for like 15 minutes. I don't think there is a time limit and the place wasn't that busy so who cares.

We decided to get back to shopping, which I really wasn't in the mood for, and walk around the store one more time. It so happens we end back up at the massage chairs as if it were calling me to it. So we sit down again for another 10 minutes or so.

Time kind of got away from me and we still had to go to Walmart so off didn't get anything done at Kohls. The chair massages were worth the trip to Ankeny.

Drew got spacers put on his teeth yesterday so his mouth was sore last night. He gets his braces on next week. He has gone through a lot already and we haven't even got the braces on yet. He handles it well though.

I am a little concerned out the club team this year. Jess is the best player on the team. Now that is not a slight against Jess but on a club team they all should be as good as her. I could be wrong but I don't think they will be anywhere near the team we had last year. I guess we will have to wait and see. Jess is really hitting the ball well. She has a 27 inch verticle and it shows. She is getting way up over the net and pounding the ball down. The parents in the bleachers were talking about her.

Both kids have games tonight. Drew plays in Jefferson and Jess plays in Huxley. Jess also has a home game tomorrow night. The team is 3-1 right now and Ballard, the team we play tonight in the town of Huxley, is ranked and very, very good. It will be a test that is for sure.

I will take some pictures this week and get them posted. I also considered doing another video blog but I will see everyone in a little over a week so I will save the VBlog for some other time.

Off to start.

Kiss my ICE

The weather is still cold but no snow in the forecast so that is ok. We still have a bunch of ice around here and it is slicker than heck. You have to really be careful walking and some of the intersections are still slippery. It just hasn't gotten warm enough to melt it and it is solid as can be. Ice---You suck!

Jess was inducted into the National Honor Society last night. It was a very nice ceremony. She was required, in her application, to write a paragraph about her leadership and then a second paragraph on someone who has made a difference in their lives. Jess chose Nancy. The selected students invite the person they wrote about to come to the ceremony. They then read what they had written in front of the audience.

Jess did a nice job and what she wrote was very nice. It made Nancy cry. It was a very nice night and I am proud of her. She works hard in athletics but maintains a high GPA and is ranked 10th out of 147 students in her class.

Drew attended the ceremony as well so he knows what to expect in a few years.

Nothing really on the agenda for today. Jess has volleyball practice in Ankeny tonight with her club team and Drew and I are going down with her. While she practices, we are going to do a little Christmas shopping.

The weekend is almost here and Christmas break is only 7 working days away.

Off to start.

Did I mention how I feel about winter?

We didn't get much snow but we have about 1/4 inch of ice and a thin layer of snow on top. It is very slick and pretty nasty. The wind is supposed to be gusty all day.

We are on a two hour delay for school. I am kind of hoping they just cancel it for the day. It is nasty out and it doesn't seem like it is going to get better today.

I think I saw on the news a cancellation for the school that we are supposed to play in basketball tonight.

Drew's team lost both of their games last night. He played about half of the A game and about half of the B game. He did fine he just needs to develop a little more foot speed and agility and he will be fine. He has very good coordination and power he just needs more speed.

I am done teaching class for the year. It is going to be a good break. I start up again January 12 or 14. It depends on the numbers for class. DMACC is tightening the budget so they are only holding classes that have a certain number of registered students. I am not sure of the magic number but I heard it is around 10. This means there is a chance I will have a class canceled or maybe none at all, who knows. I am scheduled to teach 3 classes so I would imagine at least one will be a go.

The students took their test and I was out of there around 9. It is really boring on test night. I just sit there and surf the web.

Ok, off to start this cold slick day. I am knocking on wood that I don't fall down walking to work today.

Monday doesn't seem to bad today. What gives?

The good news is, it is two weeks until Christmas break. The bad news, we have a winter storm headed our way. It is supposed to dump anywhere from 2-8 inches of snow on us tonight or tomorrow. I am hoping it is closer to the 2 than the 8.

The weekend was ok. Nothing really to mention. This week is going to be busy and it starts off without Nancy.

Dave is having his hip replaced today so she will be out until tomorrow. I think he will be in the hospital for a couple of days.

I have an early meeting this morning at 7:30. I am not really sure what the meeting is about to be quite honest. The superintendent sent me a message last week, it is something about community partnership. Whatever.

Drew has a game here tonight at 4 and then I give the final to my Monday night class at 6. It is the last class until January...Whoo-hooo! Drew is downstairs getting ready, he is playing some ridiculous music (loud). He has about one more song before I tell him to turn it down! Maybe DJ Drew will take requests today...lol

Jess has a game Tuesday night in Perry. I guess that will depend on the snow. Wednesday night she is getting inducted into the National Honor Society. Thursday I am taking her to Ankeny for volleyball practice and Drew and I are going to do some Christmas shopping.

Friday Drew has a game in Jefferson and Jess has a game in Huxley. Saturday Jess has a game here in Perry.

I am sure the week will move along pretty quickly since there is so much going on. I also have a set of meetings this week but that seems to be the trend lately. I spend more time meeting with people and less time getting my work done. It really is frustrating.

Nancy----If you read this today, I hope things go well for you today and I will be thinking about you. Give me a call and let me know how it turns out. See you tomorrow.

Mom---I don't know who I have for names for Christmas. Could you let me know? I also need to know how to get to Jenny's house. If I have the address I can Google Map it.

Off to start.

Fall is a four letter word but Winter sucks!

It is very cold today. The good news is we aren't supposed to get snow today.

I am very glad Friday is here. It has been a long week but I think next week may be more of the same.

Nancy is going through a rough stretch. Her parents aren't doing very well and Dave is having hip surgery on Monday. Throw in the normal holiday stress and it is really taking a toll. I worry about her.

Drew is continuing with the morning practices this week. The only one happy about it is Molly. We walk over to school at 6 am and she gets to go so she loves the morning walk.

Not much going on this weekend. I need to get my garage cleaned out and get the snow blower ready for the season.

Christmas is rushing upon us. I have to get ahold of Jenny and work out the logistics of the 20th.

Off to start.

Yes, Virginia, winter sucks!

Still cold and windy!

Drew is job shadowing me today. I am not sure how fun it will be for him but it is required for one of his classes. He is going to be with me all day. I will find some things for him to do but it will probably be a bit boring for him. At least we get to have lunch together.

I have a meeting this morning and nothing scheduled for the rest of the week. It is a good feeling.

Jess had her first volleyball practice last night for her club team in Ankeny. The rules seem very strict. The coach was a D-1 college coach for awhile and doesn't have experience with running club teams. The thing she has in her rules is that the girls can't miss a practice or a tournament. Well, that is an issue. For almost all of the girls, they are in other sports and the high school stuff comes first. One of the rules says, she makes and exception for seniors for prom. Well, I hate to tell her but juniors are going to skip a practice or a tournament for prom. I think she has a bit to learn. If she really sticks to these rules, she won't have enough girls left to have a team.

Jess thought the girls were nice and I think things will go well. The adjustment period to this style will take a bit. I think Jess had fun and is looking forward to it.

Had a bit of insomnia last night and I am not sure why. I hope it doesn't continue over the next few nights or I am going to be one tired dude.

I watched Smokey and the Bandit last night. Maybe that is why I had insomnia. Images of Buford T. Justice in hot pursuit. I still think that is a pretty good movie. Seems a little corny now but I like it anyway.

Ok, off to start.

No sugar coating it, winter sucks!

Well it is snowing outside and it is cold. WINTER!!!grrrr
I finished my last class in Des Moines for the semester....Whooo-hoooo!!!!

Monday night will be my last class here in Perry. It is good to be almost done.

Jess had a game last night. They won so the team is 3-1 so far this year which is much better than last year. They only won 1 game the whole season.

When Jess got home she was limping. In the last 20 seconds of the game, she drove to the basket and when she went up for the shot, a girl kneed her in the thigh, slapper her in the face and threw her to the ground. Jess said she just laid there for a minute or so trying not to cry. She'll be fine.

Drew had a game on Monday night and they won as well. We don't have any games for the rest of the week. Drew has one next Monday and Jess has one Tuesday.

Not much going on. It is cold and snowy. Work is busy and people are the way they always are. Just part of life I guess.

Christmas break is just a few weeks away and it will be good to have the building empty so I can get some server maintenance done.

I have to get in touch with everyone to find out the details for Christmas this year. We are having it at Jenny's. I have no clue where she lives but it will be nice to see her place. I hope the weather holds up.

Off to start!

I feel like a bear waking from hibernation

It was a good weekend. The weather was marginal but the days off were a good break for me.

I tried to do a little shopping on Black Friday. What a mess! I wanted to get a tv. I am using some of the money I made from teaching class to buy a 40 inch LCD TV for the front living room. I want a specific model and they had a great sale on them. Of course the two places I went were sold out! I will give it a try again later.

Thanksgiving was ok. I made turkey and it was the best turkey I have ever had. It was just perfect. I am not sure what the deal was but it sure turned out good.

We got about three inches of snow this weekend. I wasn't outside much so it wasn't a big deal to me.

Nancy did her Christmas baking on Saturday. Jess and Drew helped a bit. It is one of my favorite things. She makes chocolates and cookies, caramel corn, chex mix and a bunch of wonderful things.

Jess had a basketball scrimmage on Saturday morning. It was at North Polk. She was back around lunchtime.

Sunday was a bit of a waste. I had a headache and didn't feel that well. I laid on the couch most of the day and watched a marathon of the TV show "Solitary". I think it would be fun to go on that show. Maybe I will send in a video next time they are auditioning to see if I can get on.

Three weeks until Christmas break. I have two more Monday classes and one more Tuesday class. It is good to be almost done with the classes. I will miss another one of Jess' basketball games Tuesday.

It will be a busy week for Jess. She has practice all week with a game Tuesday. She also starts volleyball practice with her club team this week. Tonight there is a rules meeting so after practice they will be headed to Ankeny for that. She will have practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Drew has a game tonight in Perry at 4:15 so I will be able to watch it.

I am not sure what I have on my work calendar this week but I guess I will check it out when I go in this morning. I really do feel a bit refreshed from the weekend and ready to start again.

Off to start

Monday - the antidote for a positive attitude

It is Monday but we have a short week this week. The kids only have school today and tomorrow. Thanksgiving break is always a good get away from the day to day hassle of school.

Jess had a basketball tournament this weekend. It was ok. They lost Friday but won Saturday. Jess played the worst game of her career Saturday. She fouled out and really didn't play much. She got in foul trouble early in the game and every time she came in she seemed to foul and the she just really struggled to get it going. The team won so that was what was important.

Drew has a game tonight in Dallas Center. Jess has a game tomorrow in Perry.

I have a couple meetings today. One this morning and the other tonight at 6:30. I actually canceled my class tonight so I could attend this meeting. It is a school board work session and they are discussing borrowing money.

We got a bunch of snow on Saturday and it was unexpected. I would guess we got a couple inches if not more. It was slick and messy and cold as it could be.

Off to start

PB&J and Tuesday nights go hand in hand

Cold this morning but I think it is going to warm up today. It will be short lived. The rest of the week is supposed to be cold. The good news is we really don't have a chance at any significant snow in the near future.

Class went well last night. I had them do a team project that incorporated Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They had to do a lot of work and finish the night with a presentation. I was anticipating it to take a few hours total but it ended up taking almost the whole four hours and the second group didn't get to do their presentation. They will have to do it next week.

Even thought it was a bunch of work, I really didn't hear any grumbling about it. I think they enjoyed the project but it was a killer for me. I just had to sit there for four hours and wait. It was very dull. The next two classes are going to be the same because they have test prep next week and the final test the week after that.

Jess had a basketball game last night and they won. I thin they won pretty big too. Dawn said Jess played well. She is more confident this year and really getting to the basket. I think she had 12 points. It will be good to see her play on Friday.

She has the best vertical jump on the team so she does the jump ball. So far this season she is yet to loose the jump toss. We will see what happens when she has to jump against a girl that is 6'2. Last year she had to jump against one of those girls and she wanted to get up early so she jumped as soon as the ball was tossed. The other girl jumped with her and they both wiffed!

Drew has early morning practices this week so we go over at 5:10 am. Molly loves the little walk to the school so she is just excited as she can be when Drew is up and about in the morning.

I have a meeting today and not much on the agenda for the rest of the week. I am a bit worn out today for the last two nights of teaching.

I got my confirmation card for teaching next semester. I teach three classes. For a 6 week period from the end of February to the start of April I will be teaching 17 hours a week. I guess we will see how I hold up.

Off to start.

I think I might prefer the virtual world

Yesterday I had to go to Rockwell Collins for a virtual reality demonstration. They are donating a virtual reality projector, computer and screen to the school and I went with a small group of people to check out the technology in their environment. It was pretty cool to see the virtual reality, 3D environment. We had to wear some high tech 3D glasses but it really seemed like we were really in the virtual room.

We had to leave at 6am yesterday morning, thus the blog did not get posted. It was an early start to the day since I also had to teach class last night and didn't get home until around 9:45. Anyway, it was pretty cool and it will be interesting to see if our staff gets jazzed enough about it to actually develop curriculum to integrate it.

Drew had a basketball game last night. They lost 50 something to 14. UGLY! Drew did score one point.

Jess has her first basketball game tonight. I am not sure where it is but it isn't in Perry. I teach so I pay less attention to where she plays when I have no chance of attending.

The weekend went quickly. The huskers won, which was good. Jess had a basketball round robin scrimmage all day Saturday. The kids and Dawn wen to the school play and that was about it.

We did go to Ankeny Sunday to turn in Jessica's volleyball contract but that was relatively uneventful. I did buy a new kitchen trash can..Whoo Hoo!

I can't believe we are a little over a week away from Thanksgiving. I need to call mom this weekend and decide what we are going to do. Jess is having oral surgery over the break so I am not sure I am going to make it to the traditional Thanksgiving decoration day at the restaurant. I really haven't even thought much about it and it is just a week away.

Christmas is fast approaching as well. It won't be long until the shopping season will be full swing. I also have to start thinking of songs for the Christmas CD.

Ok, off to start.

Well, it doesn't feel like Friday

More rain and cold. I was thinking that I might rather have snow and just cold than this crappy, wet, miserable stuff we have been getting.

Friday has rushed upon me quickly this week. I think it has been because it has been such a busy week. Yesterday was a day full of meetings and office work. Nancy had to go with her mom to the hospital yesterday for some testing.

I have zero plans this weekend but the kids have plans. Drew is going to the movies tonight and then the school play tomorrow night. Jess is going to the school play tonight and she has a basketball scrimmage/round robing tournament in Des Moines tomorrow. Saturday night she is going out with friends.

I contacted the University of Nebraska to get information from them on the track program. They seemed very interested in Jess and are sending her a packet and want me to send a video. She received a big packet from K-State this week and has been getting a bunch of emails from the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa.

The economy is going to hit the district pretty hard next year. The state has notified the districts that this year we are safe from additional cuts but next year we will be hit hard. We are looking at possible staff cuts. There is the potential to have a $300,000 deficit or more heading into the next fiscal year.

It is getting to the end of my teaching for the term. I have 3 Tuesday classes left and 4 Monday classes left. It will be good to get them done. I look forward to teaching again next term but I really need to re-organize prior to the sessions starting up.

Ok, off to start the day and push to the weekend.

Without peanut butter and jelly I would die

Still cold and rainy but still now snow.

Class went pretty well last night. I didn't get out of there until about 9:30 so it was a little later than usual. I gave a test at the end of class and it took some of them an hour to complete.

I am hoping it doesn't get slick on the roads tonight. We are supposed to get rain most of the day and the temp is just hovering around freezing. Last night I checked the temp at 8:30 pm and it was 33. The high for the day was 34.

Jess had a hard basketball practice last night. I think it went until 6:30. I haven't talked to her yet but Drew said she was complaining about her legs being like rubber.

Drew is having a little trouble with spelling words. He is just not intuitive when it comes to that. I told him to bring his words home so we can work on them at night. They test every Friday. He said I should remind him to bring them home. My response to that was to explain to him that in a few months he will have a learners permit to drive a car. If he can't handle the simple task of remembering to bring his spelling words home, I am not sure how comfortable I am letting him get behind the wheel. I am pretty sure the spelling list will be here tomorrow. lol

Gas was as low as 1.70 here but it shot up to $1.89 overnight.

Oh! Jess was selected First team All-Conference for volleyball. They had the awards ceremony last night and the coach announced it. It is a big honor because we have one of the toughest if not the toughest conferences in the state for volleyball. For her to make 1st team when our team wasn't that competitive is a very good thing for her.

I also forgot to mention that she got tested for her vertical jump the other day and she has a 25 inch vertical. She can jump up and touch 9 feet 8 inches. The best in the school for girls.

I have no idea what is on my agenda today. I haven't checked it and really don't want to know.

Off to start.

Life just doesn't slow down

The weather is very cold and it seems like it going to be like this for awhile. At least we aren't getting any snow.

Jess had her volleyball tryouts yesterday. She was going to try-out for two or three teams. She wanted to play with the same girls she played with last year so they weren't sure if they would all make the same team so it was a wait and see thing.

They all tried out for the same team that they played on last year which has new coaches and management, so that it where the concern came in. They all made the team so she didn't even try-out anywhere else. I took her out to eat instead. We will sign the contract this week and take it back next weekend. A couple of the other girls also tried out for another team but they all want to play for Sports University again. I guess we will see how it turns out.

I was glad she made the Sports University team again. We have all the gear so it saves money.

The other good news is we will be in Omaha again for the tournament so tell Jenny and Angie.

Drew went to the Drake football game this weekend. The school took the entire middle school football team. The tickets were free. It was cold with flurries so even though they had fun, it was a cold mother.

Since we had volleyball tryouts Sunday, I reserved the high school gym for practice. There were three girls that were going to come but it was open to anyone trying out for teams Sunday. We go to get setup and the high school basketball coach was in there getting setup for a middle school practice. Jess was freaked out a bit. Not only did I have to kick him out of the gym but had to tell him it was for a volleyball warm-up for girls trying out for club volleyball.

Basketball practice starts today. We will see if he is grouchy with Jess. What are the odds. 9:00 am on a Saturday morning.

Not much going on with me. Just teaching and working.

Off to start the routine.

Landslide

The weather is a bit rainy and cool and going to get down right cold by the end of the week.

Class went well last night. I only had 3 our of 5 people in attendance. The other two emailed me and let me know they wouldn't make it.

The election was historical last night. Barack Obama won by a large margin. I voted yesterday morning and was the 175th person in my precinct to vote. Nancy was 174. (I think she skipped some of the ballot items.)

I didn't have a chance to talk to the kids much last night so I am not sure how things went with them yesterday. I did talk to Drew this morning for a bit, he had practice, but he didn't have much to say. It was too early, was his response.

I have a conference call this morning but I think the rest of the day is open.

Off to start.

Simply Vote!

Well election day is upon us. The weather is good so turnout here in Iowa should be high. I plan on going a little later in the morning to try to avoid lines. I guess we will see.

Class went ok last night. I covered the material and they took the test and we were out early. It is getting down to the final month of classes and we are running short on material. I can stretch it but I hate to waste people's time.

Drew is enjoying his morning practices. He is in a skills club and they had a event last night at the school until almost 9:00 so I am sure he is a little tire this morning. It is hard to tell sometimes with him because he just isn't a complainer.

Jess is doing the basketball thing and the principal's daughter is a senior this year and this is "her sport" so she is being a pain. To top it off the principal is assistant coaching this year so she can do no wrong. It is going to be a messy season. He really shouldn't coach his daughter. He has objectivity problems anyway and now you throw this in, it may be a mess.

I am really enjoying the good weather. Last night I walked home from class and it was a clear starry sky and a warm breeze was blowing. It was the type of night that would have been great to just sit in a lawn chair, listen to the radio and look at the sky. I always walk extra slow on nights like that so I can enjoy the evening.

Ok, off to start my day. We elect a new president today. I will be teaching so I won't get to enjoy the early returns. It would be a fun night to sit and watch the events unfold. Maybe make some popcorn, drink a little beer and either celebrate the outcome or get good and drunk to wash away the memory of the night.

The day before the big election

The weekend was awesome! Temps in the 70's both days and Sunday we had a high of 74.

I burned leaves Saturday and Sunday and made the kids help. They weren't too big on it but it was a very good thing to have done. I kind of like burning leaves. The leaves were dry so they burned really fast.

It looks like the weather is going to be good the next couple of days. Tuesday is election day so we will see how that goes. So many crazies out there that vote you just never know what could happen.

Drew has early morning practices for basketball this week. He needs to be at the school by 6:15 so he is getting up now and getting ready. He likes the morning practices because it gives him his after school time free.

Jess has "open gym" this week, which is really basketball practice but they aren't officially practicing.

This weekend we will have the club volleyball tryouts in Ankeny. I hope she makes the team again this year. She will be very dissapointed if she doesn't.

Nancy is going to be out of the office today. Dave has kidney stones so they have to go blast them out.

I teach tonight and tomorrow but the end is in sight.

Off to start.

I think I blinked and it was Friday

The weather is awesome right now. We are going to get into the low 70's or at least upper 60's today. It is going to be like this through the weekend.

FCA had a "Trunk or Treat" event last night. They kids decorate the trunks of their cars and put candy in it and then the kids come and trick or treat like they would in a neighborhood. She enjoys it.

Drew and his friends roamed the streets last night. They didn't really do anything but they are too old to trick or treat but they want to be out in all of the action.

I handed out candy. We had, I would guess, about 30 kids. Not a big crowd in out neighborhood but that's OK.

Mary Frederes was a secretary at the middle school and she retired last year. She is a friend of Nancy and me and she took us out to lunch yesterday. We went to the Hotel Pattee. I haven't been in there since it re-opened. The lunch was good and the prices are very reasonable. It was nice to see her and it was a good time.

I don't have any plans for tonight but I should spend some time outside. It is just too nice to let day like this slip away.

Nothing on my schedule for today but that can change in a heartbeat. This weekend I am headed to Des Moines with Drew to get some basketball shoes and to get my haircut. Huskers play the Sooners Saturday night so I have that to look forward to.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Kind of hard to believe it is already November.

At least I don't have to drive around and deliver subpoenas

It is good to get to the middle of the week. The weather is going to be nice. 60 and sunny.

Class went well last night. I only had 4 people in attendance but one of the students emailed me and said they had to work late and would not be able to make it.

Jess has the rest of the week off from sports. I always ask the kids how their days went and last night when I asked her, she said "Great!". I almost fell out of my chair..."Great"? I am not sure if I ever heard her say her day went that well before. She was just happy to have the afternoon after school free. We will see how long that wave lasts.

Drew has basketball practice everyday and they are really working on conditioning. He grumbled a little bit about it last night but I think mostly it was because he was tired.

I have a couple meetings today but I am hoping things are relatively calm.

Yesterday all the phones in the district were called by a auto-call system from a funeral home. ALL 300 PHONES. Of course this has the trickle down effect of each one of the people that received that call, immediately call me. I sent out an email message to explain it to avoid a flurry of calls today. We will see if anyone reads it.

Off to start

Victim of Circumstance

Really cold today. Low 20's this morning.

The volleyball team lost last night so the season comes to an end. I think Jess was a little disappointed even though they really weren't expecting to win.

Drew had his first basketball practice yesterday and they did a bunch of conditioning. That is good for him.

Class went pretty well last night. I gave them a test and actually gave them one of the problems that we didn't cover in class. I will be generous when I grade it but it did take some of them over 2 hours to complete it. I think they were freaking out a bit.

Daylight savings is coming up. I am not looking forward to it. It seems that winter is rushing upon us and the fall really never came. Well, maybe we had one or two days that were fall like. Other than that it has been wet, cold, windy and relatively miserable.

One meeting today and class tonight. I am giving another test. It is getting close to the end of the term so we have a test almost every week.

Gas prices here in Iowa are $1.99 a gallon. That is the lowest it has been in a long time. I am going to fill up today. I hope the lower prices stick around. The dang oil companies are cutting production to try to up the prices. Go figure.

Off to start.

It just doesn't matter when it's Monday

Monday---Need I say more!

It was very windy yesterday. We had gusts up to 70 MPH and it lasted most of the day. The good news is, most of my leaves are now out of my yard. It was a bad day to live on the East side of the street.

Jess had a group of friends over Saturday night. They watched a movie, played wii and some board games. I think they had a good time.

I really didn't do anything this weekend. I watched football on Saturday and Sunday it was just too windy to go out and do anything so I watched movies and took a nap (My goal was accomplished).

I teach class tonight. They have a test on MS Word. It is getting to the end of class. We only have about 6 sessions left.

Jess has her first round of playoffs to see if they can go to state in volleyball. They face the Number 1 team in the state on their home court. I don't think we have a shot at an upset.

Drew starts basketball practice tonight. We move from season to season pretty quickly.

Halloween is Friday and the Junior class is putting on a dance for the middle school. So Jess will be a chaperon at a dance the Drew is attending. Should be interesting.

I have a meeting this morning and may take a road trip today. It just depends on the weather.

Gas is down to $2.20/gallon right now.

Off to start.

Setting my goals and setting them high

The lying weather people said it was going to stop raining and get sunny this morning. They lied! It is going to be rainy again but we are supposed to "be clearing up and sunny tomorrow". The bastards. I would rather have them error on the side of bad weather. Tell me it is going to be rainy and then if it sunny, cool! But to tell me it is going to be nice and then it really is crappy......mood killer!

The girls lost their last home volleyball match of the year. They played a pretty good Nevada team and won one game. They played pretty well we just don't have the talent they do. Volleyball is probably more predictable than any other sport. More than any sport, the better team wins in volleyball. Every once in awhile you have an upset but it is not as often as other sports.

It was senior night, we have 5 on the team. They were all crying and carrying on. It is always a bit sad when their time in the uniform is almost over. Jess said she will cry next year.

Drew worked the concession stand and learned how to count change back. He said it was easy and he like working. He is good with math so counting change is pretty simple and he is a smart kid so I would trust him if I was running it.

I am looking forward to the weekend for one simple reason. I WANT A NAP! As sad as it is, that is my goal this weekend. To take a nap one of the afternoons.

I guess you have to hang on to the little pleasures in life to make it through.

Off to start the day!

More young he-men are eating rare tenderloin

Weather is terrible. Cold and rainy. I hear Nebraska is getting some snow. That would be really bad.

Senior night for the volleyball team. Last home game.

Drew has joined TSA, it is a industrial technology program that starts at the middle school and is pretty big at the high school. They do a bunch of technical school type stuff. Auto mechanics, Computer Aided Drafting, and a lot of other stuff. It is a club type thing. I think he is working in the concession stand tonight for the volleyball game as part of the club fund raising effort.

So I accepted the weekend teaching job for next spring. I decided it would be a good experience and I really don't miss any of the kids events during that month. I am sure I will be complaining come March but I get what I get.

I really don't have any plans for the weekend but I do need to get a haircut. I might try to go Friday during lunch but it will depend on the weather. I also can vote right now if I want. The county auditors office is open for voting from now until November 3rd so if I go out, I might stop off and vote.

Trash day so the ladies will be out in their heels and such. I hope they have waterproof mascara or they might have to pass another ordinance.

Off to start.

Things that make you go....hmmmm

Class went well last night. It is going pretty fast. I only have 6 more classes in each of the classes left to teach. Amazingly enough December will be here before we know it and I am done with one class December 2, and the other December 8. This year really seems to be moving along.

I was contacted by my boss at DMACC and he asked me if I wanted to teach another class in the spring. I am already teaching Monday night and Wednesday night but he offered me a third class that goes Friday night and Saturday. It only goes 5 weeks but is Friday from 5-9 and Saturday from 9-2:30.

The money sure is tempting but dang that is a bunch of teaching and a bunch of hours to put in. I am not big on the Friday night class. Saturday wouldn't be that big of a deal. The other issue is the class is at West campus so I would drive Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I could really use the money but I need to think this one over a bit. I also need to check the sports schedule and see what it might interfere with. Kill myself for 5 weeks....I wonder if it is would be worth it.

The volleyball team won last night. They played a poor team so it was an easy victory. I don't feel bad about missing this one. It was about an hour drive and it was over in three quick games.

Nancy is off today. She has to go to Boone and take care of her dad for the day. Her mom is in the hospital and her sisters and her are taking turns taking care of her dad. It has been a very stressful and difficult time for her.

Early morning meeting today and then class to teach tonight.

Off to start.

I can see November over the horizen...It isn't pretty.

Busy day ahead. The weather is going to be ok today but cold and rainy most of the week. I hate wet weather in the Fall. It would be nice to be able to burn leaves.

Jess has a game tonight and it is away. She has Senior night on Thursday.

The first part of my week is loaded with meetings and work. I have a full day today and tomorrow. I teach class tonight and tomorrow night. I am hoping the end of the week is slow.

Nancy supervises a lab this week. They teach DMACC classes at the school for a small group. They asked me to teach it but I just couldn't fit it in. They will bring in an instructor from Ankeny and Nancy will just supervise in case they have trouble. I think she has class this Tuesday night and next Tuesday night.

Not a big fan on Monday but the sooner it gets started, the sooner it is behind me.

Off to start.

The search for a college begins

Still cold with a little rain this morning. The weekend is going to be nice.

The girls won the volleyball match last night. They played OK but the setting is just awful so we don't get that many kills. Jess played well and really did a nice job at the net with a bunch of blocks. After she started blocking the kills, the other team started hitting around her and then hit a bunch of balls out of bounds so she did well.

One cool thing. Yesterday Jess went to the University of Northern Iowa for a college visit. She went on a bus with 60 other kids. Anyway, they took the tour and then when they were getting ready to go to lunch, a lady from the AD office came up to the group and told Jess the Track coach wanted to meet with her. So the high school weight lifting coach went with her and she had lunch with the head track coach, the assistant coach and the cross country coach.

He told her he had seen her run at the State track meet and is interested in her joining the track program there. He also said he wants her to come on another visit so she can meet the track team and see all the facilities. She said it was awesome! He also said he and the volleyball coach work closely together so they would see of an opportunity to play volleyball there as well.

She was on cloud 9. He gave her his card and said NCAA rules prohibit him from calling her but he can email her. He told her to email him and they can stay in touch throughout the year. She said he was really nice and laid back.

She said everyone was asking her about it on the bus on the ride home.

Tonight we have a home football game and I am sure the kids will both be headed to it. Saturday Jess has a FCA bonfire at Dawn's parents house. I am not sure when it starts but it will be a whole night event.

Drew is done with football so he has his evenings free now. I am going to shoot some baskets with him in the evening so he can get some practice in before the basketball season starts up. He also wants so start lifting weights again so I will have to get my tired butt up and take him in the mornings.

Ok, the weekend is ahead and I can't wait.

The day after

The weather is cold but the sun started to shine at the end of the day. Today more cold weather, maybe some clouds and dry.

My tenants are just killing me. They finally paid $900 of the 1500 that they owe but swear they paid $500 in a night deposit, in cash and the bank must have stolen it. I told him that until we get it, they still owe.

They also can't get the furnace to start. For some dang reason every winter we have to have the heating guy go to the house and replace a part to get the pilot to light. So as some money comes in, back out it goes.

I think they are finally making money consistently enough to keep paying rent, which is a good thing.

Jess has a home volleyball game tonight. They are playing with a breast cancer awareness theme. The girls are going to play with pink and white volleyballs. They are going to wear pink and white socks and wear pink ribbons in their hair. They also sold t-shirts that go to the Susan G Komen cancer awareness campaign.

I think there will be a big crowd and it should be a good thing.

Thanks everyone for sending me a birthday email yesterday. It was very nice and a big pick-me-up. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you. We don't get to talk or see each other much but you are a very important part of my life. Thank you. Thank you.

Today is trash day and I hope the ladies freeze their butts off.

One meeting today and nothing on my agenda for tomorrow.

I read a birthday quote yesterday. "Three things happen to a person as they grow old. First, they lose their memory. I can't remember the other two."

At 40, nobody wants to see the birthday suit

Well I made it to 40...Whooo-Hoooo!

Weather is rainy and cold but when you are celebrating what could arguably be the greatest moment in history...a little rain isn't a big deal!

Both of the kids had games last night. Drew's team lost and Jess' team got second place in the tournament. From what I hear, the both played well.

I have a meeting this morning and the rest of the day is open. I also got my new desk chair yesterday so that was an early birthday gift.

So we bought a conference table for the office and we received the top about a week ago. Since the chairs arrived we figured there must be a problem with the base of the table so Nancy called the company to find out what the delay was. Well, wouldn't you know it....THE BASE WAS SOLD SEPERATELY!!! What the hell!

We had to purchase the bottom of the table separately. I want to ask them how many people just buy the top of the table but after thinking about it, the guy could have said "Just you!".

Ok, so we are ordering the bottom.

The last presidential debate is tonight. I suppose I will watch it to see if McCain goes into the gutter to shift momentum.

The government is literally forcing healthy banks to take money from the bailout in return for shares in the company. Sort of like a hostile take over without the Democracy part. What country are we living in?

So the Republican party is "concerned" about voter registration fraud by a grassroots voter registration group called ACORN. Here's the thing. It is VOTER REGISTRATION!! You can register Mickey Mouse to vote but guess what...He won't show up! How about the years of voter suppression in minority and poor neighborhoods? How about making it mandatory in some states to have a valid drivers license to vote. Who do you think that hurts? Get a grip!

Ok, enough rant. I think it is time to get back to aging.

FYI, all my parts seem to be still attached to my body. I am hoping that is a good thing.

This is the best blog ever!

The weather is cold and a little rainy. Not the best of a fall day but what can ya do?

Drew has his last football game of the year today. They play here in Perry but I will miss it because I am teaching in Des Moines. Jess has a volleyball tournament here in Perry as well but once again, I am in Des Moines.

My tenants owe us over $1400 and are saying they put $500 cash in a night deposit that we never received. They claim the bank stole it. They are going to the bank today to talk to them about it. Whatever! What I know is they owe us a lot of money. They are supposed to pay $900 today but seeing is believing.

Yesterday we had a guest speaker in to do a seminar for the district staff. His name is Dr. Alan Zimmerman and it was interesting. It was about the effects of positive thinking and there was some benefit to it. Would I want to go through it again....No! But I did get something out of it. I am not big into the whole "self help" type of seminar but I guess it is better than digging a ditch.

I don't have any meetings today so that is good. I hope my new office chair shows up today. My back has been killing me and I think it is partially due to the chair I have been sitting in.

Today is the last day I will spend in my 30's. The big 40 tomorrow. I really don't care, I just hope the weather is nice so I can enjoy the day.

Working my way through the week. I am going to start my wonderful day (Positive thinking ya know.)

Mother nature is a mad scientist

It is good to be at Friday. The weather is going to be nice. Upper 70's but I think it might be windy.

It is the last Friday I will be in my 30's. Scary!

I really don't care. Turning 40 isn't that big of a deal for me. Wednesday is the big day. I heard the body falls apart at 40. I hope I don't loose an arm or something. That would suck!

No plans for the weekend but I do have to go in to work for a bit on Sunday. We have this big speaker coming in (his name is Dr. Alan Zimmerman). Anyway, he is a nationally known speaker and he is coming in to do an inservice for our staff. I have to go in and get the technology part setup. There are staff from other districts coming as well so we are expecting about 300 people at this event. It is an all day thing and we don't have school. The kids have a three day weekend.

I have a bit of yard work to do this weekend. I think the weather is going to cooperate so I suppose I will have to get it done. I am not sure how many good weekends we will have left so I better take advantage of this one.

As I watch the political events going on, I find people interesting. How is it that I can see an event or a debate or a plan and come to a conclusion that seems quite obvious to me and then someone else, watching the exact same thing at the exact same time can see it completely differently? The human mind is a interesting thing.

off to start the day!

"My fellow prisoners".....John McCain

It was nice to have a night fee. I made dinner and just relaxed. I tried to go to bed early but ended up watching tv in my room and didn't get to sleep until after 10. I am not sure why, but I woke up at 4 this morning wide awake so I just got up.

Sunny and nice for today. I have a bunch of meetings today. 4 of them spread out throughout the day.

The device in Drew's mouth is doing its job. His teeth are spreading out. He has another orthodontist appointment today.

I hope my new office chair comes in today. My back is killing me and I think it might have to do with the dang chair I am using at work. It started a couple days ago and now I am having a hard time moving around. I am a mess!

This weekend is going to be the fist weekend in a long time that there isn't anything going on. There isn't a volleyball match or a softball game or anything. Just a weekend to hang out and get some things done around the house that I have been putting off. I also will have to get a nap in sometime.

The day is ahead so I guess I should start

Blah Blah

Class went well. Weather is cold but better than yesterday. I think it is going to get to 70 today.

Volleyball team lost. No drama.

Work, eat, sleep.....my life!

I am glad it is Wednesday.

Stock market, Husker football, hs volleyball, and my attitude

Class went OK last night. I had to walk home in the pouring rain but that was kind of par for the course as far as my day went.

Today more clouds and rain. Monday and Tuesday are my least favorite days and when the weather is gloomy, it doesn't help.

Drew's football team lost yesterday. He was in bed asleep when I got home so I haven't really had a chance to talk to him. He had to run a mile in PE yesterday. I think he ran it in 9 minutes or something around that.

Jess' team also lost. She said they played the worst they have played all season. The coach told Jess the loss was on her. She is supposed to carry the team and if she can't perform then they will lose. She also told her that if she gets down during a match, the whole team crumbles because they look to her for leadership. If they see her down, they follow suit.

Needless to say, Jess cried after everyone left the locker room. She was fine when I got home and is just doing what she can. With 5 seniors on that team it is a bit unfair to lay the team success in her lap. Pretty awesome when a coach hangs losses on a player and doesn't take any responsibility themselves.

Tonight they go to Winterset to play the number 2 ranked team in the state. I wish I could go and be there for her but I have to teach.

My office chair in my office broke. I am now sitting in a ridiculous low back office chair. I feel silly and it is not comfortable. I am all out of sorts but Nancy ordered new chairs yesterday so I hope it gets here by the end of the week or early next week.

Oh! The dishwasher is broken. I am not sure what the issue is but won't get a good chance to look at it until Wed.

Ok, Tuesday is here and I am off to start the day.

I think it is time for a reality check

It is going to be 80 today! What the? Anyway it is going to cool down after today and I think we are supposed to get some rain later in the day and into tonight.

Drew went to the orthodontist and he has this apparatus in his mouth. It sits in the soft pallet of his mouth and is supposed to spread his upper jaw so his teach align correctly. It just sucks! It is like a metal plate that has a slot in it. Twice a day, we have to put this wire in it and crank it one spot to spread it out. I can't tell you how horrible that is. He is taking it pretty well. Much better than I would. I think I would rather have crooked teeth. He also had trouble eating. I feel bad for him.

So I am not sure what is worse:

* Being a Husker fan
* Being an Iowa fan
* Being a Iowa state fan
* Being a Cubs fan

I suppose it would be best to be a Cubs fan because at least the suffering is over!

The Huskers just stink! I had to play Playstation (Nebraska vs Missouri) and I hung 185 points on the Tigers, just to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I think it is going to be a long season. Up next Texas Tech who could also have 50 or 60 on us.

Jess played in a volleyball tournament Saturday. They got second place. It is kind of a shame because the team they lost to in the final, they had beaten earlier in the day.

She also played softball Sunday, it was the last weekend for that. I am glad it is over. The weather was good for all the games so we lucked out but it really took up most of the day on Sunday.

Tonight both kids have games at home. I teach so I won't be able to watch.

I did get good news Friday. DMACC has asked me to teach again in the Spring so I am all set. I will be teaching Monday and Wednesday nights.

I have two meetings this morning and I think that is it for the day. I do have a bit of work to get done in the office so it should be a good day.

It is Monday and my least favorite day of the week. The sooner I start it, the sooner it will be behind me.

Off to start!

Some opinions are best kept to yourself

Weather still nice. Chilly in the morning. I think we are going to get a little rain Sunday night.

Nothing on the agenda today. It is trash day...Bastards!

VP debate tonight. I wonder if Palin will be able to BS her way through it. She was a terrible pick.

We had a cricket in the office yesterday. The little stinker was just chirping like crazy and we couldn't find it. Turns out he was in the light fixture. I had to get up on the desk and open the ceiling like panel and remove it.

That might have been the most exciting thing to happen yesterday.

Not much else.

Aren't these the same folks that would garnish my wages if I couldn't pay?

Another chilly morning. I really like the weather we are having right now. It isn't cold and it isn't hot it is just right....as goldilocks would say.

Class went well last night. We prepped for the test next week and it took awhile for them to complete the practice lessons. I was there until about 9:45 so it was later than normal but not too bad. The drive back was nice. The sky was clear and the stars were very bright.

Drew's team won their game last night and Jess' team lost theirs. I think they both played well but I haven't really had much of a chance to talk to them since I got home late.

I have a couple meetings today and then nothing on my calendar for the rest of the week..knock on wood. I hope it stays that way.

By the way, I think the whole political system is corrupt! What a bunch of crap!

As a tax payer I want collateral for our bailout! I want to own the Fanny May building and the land, buildings and assets of every company we are going to bail out. I also want the CEO's of these companies need to pony up everything they own! Houses, I am sure there are countless, land, stock, everything they have should be tax payer owned. I sure the heck can't get a loan unless I put something up, why should they be different?

Ok, enough of that but I get so frustrated with the Washington bias. This is no different than George W. protecting the oil companies and his interests. Enough!

Not much else on the agenda for the rest of the week. We don't have any games until the weekend. Jess has a volleyball tournament in Des Moines Saturday morning, softball in Ames Sunday. Then the cycle starts over again.

The huskers are probably going to take a butt kicking Saturday night but I will watch and suffer for the cause.

Off to start the day.

It might as well be Monday

As I walked home from class last night, it was chilly. This morning there is still a nip in the air. It is perfect sleeping weather but I may have to have a jacket soon.

Class went well last night but there was a bit of a snag. I let the class out at around 9:25, thinking I would be home early. One of the students asked if they could stay until 10 to work on homework. Well, I had to say yes since the class is scheduled until 10 anyway. So there I sat, waiting for him to do his work. It was a little after 10 by the time I got out.

I have a meeting at 9:30 this morning and the rest of the afternoon is free. I teach class in Des Moines tonight but it should go pretty good. We are reviewing for a test so that should take most of the time.

Both kids have games tonight. Drew plays in Adel and Jess has a home match against Carroll.

Working my way through the week.

Something has to change

We had strong thunderstorms last night but today everything seems to be fine. Temps are going to be in the low 70's with strong winds tonight.

The government is bailing out the banking industry on wall street. Whatever!

Huskers lost this weekend, which sucks! They are not a very good team this year. It is going to be a long season.

The Broncos lost yesterday.

Jess had softball yesterday. They played well but it was cold outside. The weather was chilly and the wind was cold.

Drew went to a overnight birthday party on Friday night and then another one on Saturday night. It was a busy week for him.

I went to Sam's Club yesterday and bought a bunch of stuff. I am going to try to be a bit more of a health eater so I bought some instant oatmeal and granola snack bars.

I feel pretty blah today. Don't really feel like going to work but don't really feel like staying home either. One of those days you just don't know what would make you happy.

I heard there is a fuel shortage down south so I would imagine gas prices are going to spike again. I should fill up today so I am good for the rest of the week and into the next week.

Really nothing else to say. Life is pretty dull right now. I almost hate to post the blog because it is a reminder to me of how uninteresting things are right now.

Monday!

Be thankful if you aren't arrested, infected, or have your butt on the hot seat

The weather has been wet but it looks like the forecast for the next 7 days are going to be sunny. It is going to be hot through Saturday and then cool down a bit next week.

This week has been a complete drag! I guess drag may be an understatement. It really too much to go into on the blog, it would take about 10,000 words. I don't want to write that much this morning and you don't want to read that much so let's just leave it as it has been a suckfest week.

Tonight Jess plays in Dallas Center so I will get to see her play. Friday the football game is here in Perry.

It is garbage day so the ladies will be out. I have a bunch of stuff for the bastards this week. Usually I have a bag or two this week, I have about 4.

One of the high school secretaries was arrested Tuesday for stealing money. She was actually put on administrative leave last October and they finally arrested her Tuesday.

We also have some type of infection spreading through the atheletes at school. There is something that is contaigious, and I think they get it from the weight benches or other shared equipment. The school is in a rush to get hand sanitizers everywhere and clean with bleach all the equipment. It is kind of a mess.

It seems like there is just a lot of things going on right now and it is too much to type. Maybe I will do a video blog this weekend and go into it. It is a little easier to do it on video than to type it.

Ok, off to start the day. Knock on wood it gets better!

700 billion? Let me see what I can find under my sofa cushions.

Rain in the forecast for today.

Class went well. I am a little tired and want to get through tonight's class without incident.

Jess has a home volleyball game and Drew has a home football game. I will get to see Drew play for awhile, his game starts at 4:15. I will miss Jess' game.

That's all.

Fall begins at 10:44....another Summer has come and gone

We are in store for another nice day but there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow. It is actually kind of warm. In the upper 70's to low 80's.

Homecoming was good for the kids. The football team lost but it was close and the team we played was ranked so it wasn't too bad. Jess had a good time at the dance so all was well.

Drew went to a party Friday night at a friends house. He also had a good time. The life of the young.

The kids were busy this weekend with little things they do. Yesterday, we had to go to Ames for Jess' softball league. They lost one and won one. She played well. Had a big hit that was about 5 feet from being a homerun but the girl made an outstretched grab and robber her of a nice hit.

I have two meetings this morning and then class tonight. I actually have a bunch of things to do today. I kind of slacked off on Friday so I have to do some things that I just didn't do last week. Oh well, since Monday sucks anyway it might as well just be a complete suckfest and get it done with.

It probably is best to put all the sucky stuff into one day as much as you can so it can just be ONE bad day as opposed to dragging it out. Kind of like ripping off a band aid, just rip it off, the slower the more painful it really is.

Ok, off to start the week.

Molly doesn't really care about homecoming

We seem to have made it to Friday with a great weather week. The good news is the weather is going to continue to be great the next 4 or 5 days. The weather right now reminds me of California weather. It is just great.

Homecoming football game is tonight. We play the Carroll Tigers. They are usually a pretty strong team so I don't anticipate a victory but you never know until you play the game.

Jess and Drew are pretty excited about the game tonight and all they hype that goes on at school during the day. Drew is having some of his friends come over this morning at 7:30 am and they are painting their faces blue and white. They checked with the school and were told it was ok to do. I am not a big fan of face painting but I am hoping this experience teaches a little life lesson and it won't be a trend.

Some of the high school girls are coming over tonight to get ready for the homecoming dance. The boys are then coming here to pickup the girls and some parents are coming over and they are taking pictures here.

I don't have plans for the weekend but Jess has a softball league games Sunday at 11 and 2. So that will eat up a big part of the day.

I have a couple meetings this morning and plan on coasting through the rest of the day and high stepping to the weekend.

I am pretty sure I did that yesterday

Trash day and the weather continues to impress.

I have a meeting this morning and then another meeting this afternoon with a vendor but I am going to cancel that one. I don't really have the time or the patience to listen to a vendor today.

So I get a call from the realtor in town last night and they need tech support for something in their offices. I really don't want to do it but I told her I would stop by today at 5. I honestly think I could work every night of the week if I wanted. I have been approached with a bunch of little job offers the last few weeks. I kind of feel like I just want people to leave me alone. I understand the need for help but I am stretched about as thin as I want to get right now.

Homecoming week continues. Tonight is the big bonfire. The game is tomorrow and so is the dance. It is a big week for the students.

Not much else to say today. Off to work!

You try Rogaine once and you never live it down

The weather continues to be awesome! I saw the 7 day forecast and it reminds me of being in California. Sunny everyday and highs in the upper 70's or low 80's. In the 50's at night. It is perfect.

Class went well last night. Teaching the office package (Word, Excel, etc.) is kind of a bore and it seems to go slow but we got through it last night. I gave them their first test of the year, I guess I will see how they did when I grade it later this week.

Drew's team lost their football game 12-0 last night. Jess's volleyball team won their match in three games.

Jess got a letter in the mail from the University of Minnesota track program. They want her to fill out a form and send it back to them. They won the Big 10 championship the last three years so they have a strong program. It is pretty cool that she has a school like that interested in her. We are going to get it filled out and see what happens.

It is homecoming week and today is volunteer day. The high school pretty much takes today off and the students are on volunteer teams that are lead by a staff member and they are assigned a project of some kind. Everyday is a party during homecoming week.

Work is ok, we are constant but not overwhelmed which is a nice change. I have a lot of little things to do but none of them are urgent and making me worry about getting it done.

Here is a very realistic scenario that makes me crazy:

A call comes in and says a teacher has a lab full of kids (25 or so) and none of them can login. The class is at a standstill and they kids are starting to act up. The teacher is frustrated and freaking out.

At the same time, the business office calls and says their fax machine isn't sending faxes out and they have purchase orders that HAVE to go out in the next hour to meet an order deadline.

At the same time another call comes in and we have two new students and they need to be entered into the system so they can be put into classes. They are currently sitting in the guidance office with their parents waiting to get a schedule to start.

In the middle of all of that, my cell phone goes off and it is the lunch lady, the lunch program has crashed at the elementary and they have 900 kids to process in the next hour and half and the line is backing up.

Can you see why I have insomnia?

At least things are ok as of 6:18 am.

More tomorrow.

The new anti-nausia patch.....Perfect for watching McCain commercials

The weather is wonderful! Yesterday was maybe the nicest day we have had in a long time and it going to continue for the rest of the week and through the weekend. How cool is that?

Class went well last night. It is a good group of kids. Three students missed class last night. I kind of figured I might have a few gone because it is homecoming week and they have the coronation for kind and queen last night at 8:00. Taylor Thompson was queen and it was a great choice. I coached her when she was little in softball. She is a great kid and her family is very nice. Her dad is a minister I think and she is a quiet, nice girl. It was kind of a shock that she won actually. Usually it goes to a party girl. It is nice to see her selected. I did not know the boy that won as king.

Both kids have games tonight. I wish I could be around for it but I will be in Des Moines teaching my little heart out. Livin the dream!

Work has been pretty good lately. It hasn't been hectic or crazy busy and it has given me a chance to work on things that have needed attention for a long time. I started to redesign the website and it turned out pretty good. I have a few more pages to do but all in all it is going well.

Molly got her rabies shot yesterday and she was very good. Well, she was very good with the exception of taking a big ol' number 2 in the vets office.

It will be good to get through the day today. Once I am past Tuesday, the rest of the week seems easy because I am home by 5 or so. The days get long when I don't get home until 10. 7:30 am to 10:00 pm is a long day for me.

Ok, I am off to start the day.

I see people living life on tv and it looks nothing like what I am doing!

Back to the weekly cycle. Monday starts off the work week after a lazy weekend. I don't think I did anything productive this weekend. I mostly watched tv and ate. I took a nap on Saturday and another one on Sunday. It was cloudy and kind of rainy this weekend so it was the kind of time that you just feel like doing nothing.

The week starts off with some cool weather but it is going to be sunny. I think the weather is going to be good the whole week this week.

It is homecoming week this week so the school will be filled with daily themes and homecoming events. Both Jess and Drew have games Tuesday. Drew is away and I think Jess is home. I won't be able to watch either since I teach in Des Moines. I hate missing their events.

The one thing that has been taking a bit of my time on the weekend is grading papers and prepping for the next weeks classes. It takes a lot of time to do the things outside of class that need to be done. I am guessing I spend anywhere between 12-20 hours a week on teaching, grading and prepping.

I really should setup a few meetings this week but I really hate meetings so I have been reluctant to do so. I need to work with some staff on getting them setup to edit their web pages, I also need to have a department meeting. None of this is something I really look forward to.

The huskers have a bye week this weekend so I am not sure what I will do on Saturday. Oh! Iowa won the game this weekend. For the next 365 days, this is a Hawkeye state.

Off to start.

9-11-2008

It is rainy, muggy and generally uncomfortable today. I think we are going to have wet weather for the remainder of the week and into the weekend.

It was good to have an evening at home last night. I made nacho's for dinner and Drew and I watched TV and relaxed. It was nice.

Today Jess have a volleyball tournament here in Perry. It starts at 4:30. I like the home games.

Not much else going on today. It is trash day so the ladies will be out and about.

The weekend is in plain sight.

I think the light at the end of the tunnel is a train!

Not as cold here today as it was yesterday but it is going to get a little warmer and a bit of humidity is going to return. I think there might be a little rain in the forecast.

The volleyball team lost last night. They won the first game but lost the next two.

My class went well last night. I am part of the Adjunct Council and we had a meeting last night before class. We are working on a certification process for Adjuncts and it is good to be involved in the project.

The students did a nice job in class last night. I tried to change it up a bit and we did a group project during class. It gave them a chance to get up and move around and work together. We had a good discussion after as well. I think the night was a success.

I am glad to be done teaching for the week. Those two days get to be long.

Tonight I have a meeting at 3 and another meeting at 5:30 but it shouldn't last too long so I plan on being home by 6ish.

I received an email from my tenant and he said a pipe is rusted an leaking in the basement. He also said there is water damage in the bathroom upstairs and the floor is turning black.

That dang house is an monkey on my back. It wouldn't be so bad if I had ANY type of construction skills. If I could replace the floorboard and carpet in the bathroom or do some type of repair work it would be better but I just don't know how and don't have the tools. I guess I should have taken shop in high school.

Drew's finger is a little better every day. I am still taping it but I think I will see if he can go without it on Friday. If it is sore after, he would have the weekend to rest it.

Nothing going on tonight. Tomorrow Jess has a volleyball tournament here in Perry and the HS boys football game is in Boone Friday night.

The weekend if rushing upon me....Whoo-hoo!

Is there some type of law about turning the heat on in September?

It is a cold one this morning! When I woke up it was 42 degrees outside and it feels like winter is here already.

Class went well last night. I think I have a pretty good group of students on both Monday and Tuesday nights. It makes a big difference when you have a good group. The classes are more interesting, the class participates in discussion and asks good questions. All in all, it went pretty well.

Tonight I will be teaching at the West campus. I will review my material today and go through some of the exercises. It should go well but you never know until you start.

Drew is back to practicing after his finger injury. His hand is pretty bruised and it still hurts a bit but he is going at it. I bought a finger splint thing and taped and we taped his finger up before practice. Actually I had a meeting so Nancy taped his finger up for him.

Jess has a volleyball match in Adel tonight. I hope they do well.

This weekend is the big Iowa vs Iowa State football game. It is kind of a fun week at school because people wear their team colors and they have a bunch of Iowa vs Iowa State fan games. It is a nice distraction from the day to day grind that life throws at us.

One of the TV station's sports crew loads up in a RV and travels between Ames and Iowa City this week. They live in the RV and broadcast their adventure. It is kind of fun. Although, I am not a big fan of either team, it is a fun week here in Iowa.

School board elections are today. We only have one seat open and the incumbent is running unopposed. There is also an item on the ballot but it is not interesting enough to go into here.

By the way, what is up with the McCain adds. "He fought republicans, she fought republicans". Are they running as Democrats now? Whatever!

Have a great day!

Things are tough all over!

Well, it is Monday and it feels like it. Suckfest!

Rainy and chilly is the forecast and so it my attitude.

Jess played in a softball league yesterday in Ames. They did well. She played 1st base like normal but they also let her play shortstop for a couple innings. She actually played well. She has good speed so she made a couple nice grabs on the run. I am not sure if I have ever seen a lefty play short before.

Drew's thumb is getting better but I think I am going to go to the store today and get a small finger brace and tape it up before he goes to practice today. I think it was hard for him to miss practice for a couple days. He really likes football.

I teach class tonight so it will be a late night for me. It is not so bad because I have my lesson plan for tonight complete so there is plenty of work to cover for class. It is always hard to go through the first two days of the week as I teach class. Those days get long.

Jess has a volleyball match in Adel Tuesday. I will miss it because I teach. She has a tournament here in Perry Thursday. That should be fun to watch. Drew has his first football game Tuesday of next week.

My calf muscle is still giving me fits so I am taking a break from running until I can walk without a limp.

Off to start the week.

I decided to sleep in!

Late volleyball games last night. My calf is still really sore and I decided to sleep in a bit.

Have a good weekend!

Not a big fan of Palin

We had a bit of rain overnight and just some sprinkles this morning. It is still cool but I like this kind of weather right now. It is nice.

Last night Drew came home in tears and he was holding his right hand. He got his hand caught between two helmets. His fingers were swollen and very tender. I had Dawn take him to the emergency room to see if they were broken but it turns out they are just really badly jammed and sore. He has to wear a splint on his hand for a couple of days but he should be fine.

Jess has a volleyball tournament tonight in Adel. It starts at 4:30 so I will have to leave work a bit early to go see it. She is frustrated with the season already and the coach is giving her trouble. The coach actually called Jess last night to talk to her because she was hard on her in practice and knew Jess was upset. She told her she is the core of the team and she needs her to lead the team.

I think it is a bit unfair to put the responsibility of winning on her shoulders. Anyway, I guess we will see how they do tonight.

I went on my run this morning and got a cramp in my right calf. I had to walk the last half of the route. I am not very happy about it but I know if I push it, I can really make it worse.

Today I have a meeting in the morning and the rest of the day I should be able to get work done in my office.

Trash day today...the ladies will be in all their glory!

Pizza is not on my diet menu but MAN does it sound good!

Middle of the week sounds pretty good to me. The weather is cool today. It was 54 when I went for my run. There was a bit of a breeze so it was kind of chilly. Drew got up and met me at the school and he lifted for about a half an hour. I rode the bike and did the stepper for a bit.

Class went pretty well last night. Four hours is a LONG time to teach or to sit in a classroom. It is especially long at night after a full day at work. We did get a lot of material covered and the class went well. I started with 11 in that class and now I am down to 8. It doesn't really matter to me how many students I have in class. It pays the same.

Today I have a training with the staff to conduct. I am teaching them web page design. It is something that I have been putting off but finally am getting done. We have a bunch of web pages on our site and they need to start updating their own pages. It will be good to have this training done but it is a hassle to prep and setup for it. It is the little things like this that get me behind on the technology things I need to do.

Jess' team got their butts kicked in the volleyball tournament last night. I think it boils down to them having a very poor coach. She isn't cut out for coaching and just does a poor job. Of all the coaches in our district she is by far the worst.

Drew has his first football game on Tuesday of next week. I think it is here in Perry so I should be able to see it.

Off to start.

You can call it Tuesday if you want but it still sucks!

Even though it is Tuesday it feels like a Monday. If was fun going back home but 4 hours on the road Sunday and then 4 more hours on the road Monday seemed to wear me out.

Drew has been wanting to lift weights in the morning so after my run I had him meet me at the school and I he got a little lifting in. I hopped on the bike and the eliptical machine while he lifted.

Started my morning at 3:30 am today. Not sure what the deal is with that but I took a little nap yesterday so I think I got plenty of sleep.

Today I have a meeting in the morning and then I teach class in Des Moines tonight. I will be glad when this day is behind me.

The weather is going to be good today. I think we are supposed to get some rain later this week. Maybe even tomorrow.

Jess has her first volleyball match of the year tonight in Dallas Center. I am going to miss it because I am teaching class. I really hate missing her games.

I think I am going to miss a bunch of games this year because of this Tuesday class. She has most of her games on Tuesday or Thursday and a few tournaments on the weekends. Drew's football games are also on Tuesday. If I would have known this I probably wouldn't have accepted the Tuesday night class.

Ok, off to start the day.

But you really don't know "the rest of the story".

Well, the ladies in their sun dresses and bonnets will be around to pick up my garbage today. I hope they don't get a run in their hose. It rained last night and I wish I would have put my bags out last night so they would be wet and heavy today for the bastards.

Isn't it great to start the day with such a sunny attitude.

Ok, so we had some rain last night and it is going to be nice the rest of the day. I think it is supposed to be nice the rest of the week and into the long weekend. I am planning on going to Exeter Sunday morning and come back Monday sometime. We will be in no hurry to leave Monday, Jess doesn't have practice until 7pm.

Life is moving along very quickly right now. Work is still the same mess it has been for the last couple months. The kids are practicing every night and the first HS football game is Friday here at home. Jess have a exhibition scrimmage against Ogden Friday night here in the gym before the football game. I think her match is at 5:15.

I really don't have any thing planned for Saturday. I need to cut the grass and maybe work on prepping for my classes Monday and Tuesday. Four hours is long time to have a class so the prep is always time consuming.

I have a meeting this morning and then some scheduled work this afternoon. It seems like there are not enough hours in the day to get all that I need to get done....done. I guess you just do what you can and go at it day to day. The biggest obstacle is attitude. It is hard to stay positive when you are working like a dog and people act like you aren't getting things done. They just don't know all of the things we HAVE done, it just might not be the thing THEY wanted. With 300 staff members, we can't fix everything in a day or even a week. (Take a breath Rich)

Ok, off to start the day.

I really can't think of a good title today

I think we might get a little rain today. It is actually a good thing because we haven't had rain in a long time and the grass is starting to burn up. A little rain will be good.

Class went well last night. I have 11 people signed up but only 9 people were in class. It is going to be a pretty good group. Most of the students didn't have their books because there was a computer issue at the bookstore and they were unable buy them. I got my books about 40 minutes before class so I had to rush and put together the rest of my lesson plan.

I kept the class until about 9:20 so I was home a little after 10. It is good to be done with classes for the week.

Drew went to the orthodontist yesterday and needs braces but first they have to put in spacers because his teeth are coming in behind the others.

My tenants paid a little rent yesterday and are going to pay a little more at the end of the week. They are still down about $125 for this month and the first is just around the corner. They are yet to pay the deposit.

Work is still busy but that isn't new. I hope that we get a big chunk of issues resolved by the end of the week.

Off to start again!

Is this some sort of cosmic prank?

So I was able to get a better night sleep last night. I took the melatonine and that seemed to do the trick. I slept from 9 until 4 so that is much, much better.

Yesterday was very, very busy with Nancy being gone most of the day. It was one of those days where you work like crazy but never seem to get much accomplished.

I had my first class last night and it was a bust! It started when I realized I didn't have any of the teacher's material that usually comes with the book. I didn't have the presentations or the quiz generator or any of the things that make my life a bit easier. So I work most of the weekend getting that stuff ready and doing it all from scratch.

As class time approaches, we lose our Internet connection. A line got cut or something in Adel and it knocked out our Internet, the cable TV in town and some phone lines. The connection was necessary for about half of my class activities so I am already in a hurt.

We start class and I am going over the material and I start to talk about the books and the CD's that go with them when I notice they don't have the same CD's I do. Upon a closer look, THEY SENT ME THE WRONG TEXTBOOK!!!! ALL of the stuff I had planned for class just went up in smoke. No Internet connection, different book, so the assignment I was planning on giving them they could not possible do because they had a different book.

In the end we talked about class a bit and I let them go home. I have to go through this again tonight so I need to contact DMACC today to see if I can get a copy of the correct books for class. UGH!

It can only get better from here.....right?

Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it's time to get up.

So the melatonin has been a great help and this weekend I didn't take it and slept pretty well. Last night, however; was a much different story. I went to bed around 9:30 and was up at 1:30. I have been up ever since. It is tough when you get up like that because it is really to late to take a sleep aid. I teach class tonight and it is supposed to last until 10. I imagine I will sleep pretty well tonight.

I have the coffee going and the hotter the better.

This is the first full week of school. Nancy is gone today for training so I will be in the office all by myself.

I have a meeting this morning with the superintendent but other than that I plan to work in my office.

I am anticipating letting my class out early tonight. For one, I don't have the instructor material so I am not able to do the pretest that I wanted to do. I also don't have any of the presentations or handouts that go along with the book. Second, the first day is always kind of a drag because you can't really cover stuff they haven't read about yet. It is probably most least favorite day of class.

So I am starting to diet today. I went for a walk/jog this morning and it went pretty well. It was actually kind of good to get out after laying in my bed looking at the ceiling for a few hours. Did I mention late night TV suck!

I can feel myself starting to get a little tired so I think this is going to be a long day. Maybe I will come home for lunch and take a little nap.

Mom- What is your plans for the long weekend? We are looking at coming to Exeter but wanted to check with what your work schedule looks like.

Off to "zombie" my way through the day!

I'd like to give a shout out to my good friend "Friday"!

I made it to Friday! Whoo-Hoo!

Weather is pretty good. I think it is going to be warm today. High 88 and humid. I am not going to complain because it has been so nice lately. Rain is predicted for the weekend.

Work has been extremely busy but we are chipping away at it and "this to shall pass".

Jess has been complaining about her AP History class. AP stands for advance placement. I think they get college credit for it. There are only 12 kids in the class, everyone else dropped. She is also taking a DMACC class in the morning, but that class doesn't start until Monday. It is medical classes for the nursing program. Jess wants to be a pediatrician so these classes will be good for her. They are also for college credit.

Drew is liking school. I can tell this because he hasn't complained and his stories about school are always humorous. Since he is in 8th grade, they are the "seniors" of the middle school so I think that makes the year a bit better as well. They "rule the school"...lol

I start teaching Monday and my textbooks should be here today. I will spend the weekend prepping for class. It takes me about 10 hours to prep for a 4 hour class. It is a good thing I teach the same class Tuesday so the prep I do for Monday can be used for both days.

Today I am going to have a nice lunch. I am not sure what it will be yet but it will be good....for crying out loud I deserve it!

ok, off to start the day.