My days are numbered

This is my last week in the pleasant peninsula known as Michigan. It's also Halloween.

Tim flew from Philly to Detroit (emphasis on the -roit!) last Thursday and left last night. We had an excellent time in the state that's shaped like a mitten. 1.25 pound burgers and the Tigers Thursday night and a rain-soaked trip to Ann Arbor on Friday (complete with sweatshirts, a fun wifi cafe, the massiveness that is U of M's stadium, and little dauschaunds swaddled in "Go Blue" sweaters). We snuck (not really, since it's open to the public) into U of M's graduate stacks in the library, which is really nice. They had a vending machine that dispenses index cards (recycled), yellow highlighters (accent), and four pens taped to a blue card (papermate). Tim also found a fan in the philosophy section at Borders and humored him beautifully. He'll be a good professor.

On Saturday we went to Birmingham, a city nearby that Eric recommended. It's nice--away from the suburban sprawl that is O.L. We bought super healthy and great-tasting food at this gourmet market, went to Moosejaw (lots of Patagucci, but no purchase...too expensive and Michigan taxes clothes at 6%), and wound up at a 24/7 cafe near the indie movie theatre. Cosi for dinner after being shut out of the Panda King, or whatever it's called. Sunday was more Birmingham to get some work done, then to the Somerset Collections (no Louis, no Tiffany's) and then for Chinese food and the Royal Tenenbaums.

Yesterday I had to work in the morning, and for four hours in the afternoon. We went for breakfast and then Tim went to BN to write for Kant. I taught for the day, which went much better than the past couple of weeks. I think I needed a mental and physical break from teaching. Afterwards, I drove Tim to the airport. I'll see him in a few weeks on Thanksgiving. He left me a surprise under my passenger seat, a copy of Dostoevsky's The Idiot, which I've wanted to read for a long time. I read books at BN in the hopes of not having to buy them; so now I have something wonderful to read. I'm on a Russian literature kick.

Today is Halloween and I bought some candy for my already ADHD students. I don't really care about Halloween anymore. In college, it was the only day where it was socially acceptable, and encouraged, to dress all slutty en masse. Leave the tricks for the kids.

I leave for Chicago on Sunday. I'm excited, a little nervous, and apprehensive about how difficult it will be to teach at two schools. I'm living with a mom and her young son, so that should be fun. Miss you all.

I'm just sitting here, drinking my Pomegranate Oolong tea, wishing I hadn't finished Lolita because now I have nothing to read. I wish that it was 24 hours from now.

That's all. My kids were petits monstres today. I'm tired and longing for some NE.

Karma

This would only happen to me. While sitting in Panera, I get in an hour-long conversation with a psychic and her sister. We talked about education in the United States, traveling, DSW shoe outlet, and that I have "pencils circling my head" (a sign that I am going to graduate school). They started talking to me after seeing my AP textbook (Rotational Equilibrium and Rotational Dynamics...I'm guest-lecturing on Tuesday). I went to the largest, most rediculous mall yesterday (its name is the "Somerset Collection"), where people valet their Hummers and LV bags are a dime-a-dozen. And of course, I got lost on the way home. But now, my psychic friend told me to call her cellphone if I get lost and she wll help me. I have a good aura. I told you, what goes around, comes around.


Heehee.

Today was one of those days when nothing seems to go the way it should. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's frustrating nonetheless.

I was trying to get all my paperwork done so I could bring it to FedEx when I realized that it's not due until Monday. So that was my mistake; the first in a long line of mistakes.

I went back to my room, called the office for the third time, processed more registrations, talked with Tim and my brother, and fell asleep. Woke up, tried to go to the mall but couldn't find it. Driving around aimlessly, or driving around lost, is one of my huge pet peeves. I hate it. I hate not knowing where I'm going. It's different than living in a city or living in Europe, where you can walk or take the subway most places. Driving lost makes me think that I am going to get in an accident.

After I finally found my way back to O Road, I went to Barnes and Noble to relax and read magazines with $5,000 Chloe bags that I know I will never be able to afford. It was nice...I drank my PG tea (no more Pomengranate...and the guy told me they never had it. Um, yes you did. Two days ago). But it was nice to drink my tea, wrap up in the toggle, and read fashion magazines. Then I bought some wonton soup, came back, watched the beginning of Whale Rider, and now I'm up in the dark computer lab typing this.

When I was in college (oh so long ago), I used to make lists in my journal of things I loved, wanted, or hated--just for fun, and to make myself realize how lucky I am. So here goes, in no particular order:

Love: My family, Tim, my friends, the buzz of my phone when it vibrates (I hate ringtones), the sound of my stopwatch when I time my students, fall in Vermont, warm sweaters, wrapping up in my toggle coat, nice sheets, down blankets, fall football games with instant hot chocolate, good books, Sunday Morning on CBS, black chuck taylors, my moleskin, my extra-fine point pilot pens, worn leather bookbags, patagonia puff vests, static-y hair, independent movies in little theatres, fancy chinese food restaurants, good wonton soup, cooking, nice wine in juice glasses, strong coffee, free wireless at Panera, the pink shirt, kids in school uniforms, college towns, small bookstores, take-out on cold evenings, checklists, milky tea, digestives (milk chocolate), cashmere, England, rainy days, atlases, soft blankets, people in socks, men's hands, plain undershirts, CDs, flowers, light perfume, prep schools, Mass on Mondays/Wednesdays, FedEx envelopes, snail mail, notebooks and legal pads, my powerbook and HP printer/copy/scanner, feeling calm and happy, watching Tim study, European vacations, museums, ticket stubs, standing under a circling moon, eating in, long naps, John Mayer concerts, Canterbury and the Eliot footpath, stars on a clear winter evening, Bed and Breakfasts, pancakes with maple syrup, maps, boats, wearing hooded sweatshirts on boats or ferrys, islands, crunching through leaves or fresh snow, ugly pumpkins, re-learning the state capitals, kissing, fancy cellphones (I will never have one), grocery shopping, the idea of knitting, falling asleep.

Loathe: Getting lost in the car, people who use sarcasm or cruelty as self-defense, most television, wide-ruled looseleaf, the lack of role models for young girls, when people hold your hand too long in a handshake, belatedly returned e-mails, canned green beans, blatant ignorance, the Wilkes-Barre black hole, messy rooms/cars, fast food, feeling lazy, knowing people are mad at me, procrastinating, anxiety, the "hurry up and wait" effect, uncertainty, leaving the ones I love.

Covet: Lots of books and a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, a real apartment with a big bed and wooden floors, a radio to listen to NPR in my room, some new clothes, a big Chloe bag, a new ipod (kind of torn about this), new music to put on the ipod, a wireless card, some new jewelry and makeup to make me feel more like a girl in this all-boys school, my Sir to be here with me, a steady job when this is said and done, health on a regular basis, a British electric teakettle, a kitchen to cook some good food, "The Food I Love" cookbook by Neil Perry, a place on the Main Line, a new paint-job for the mom-mobile, a RAZR although I don't need it, a plane ticket home.

And the capital of Pennsylvania is...

I haven't updated this blog since...well, a long time.

I am living in Pennsylvania, but not for long. On Saturday, I move to Michigan (Orchard Lake, to be exact). This past month has gone by in a whirlwind, and I apologize to those who have tried to contact me and have gotten a very belated reply. I will get back to you, I promise.

My months pretty much go as follows: Week 1: Move to new location, meet new school contact, move into new housing arrangment (always interesting), and get to know the staff and students. Boost (try to get new students to sign up for the course). Little sleep. Calling parents, calling the office, calling students endlessly. It's a hard week. Week 2: First week of classes. This month, I've been teaching an early morning class (6:55-7:55am Monday-Thursday), an afternoon class, a five hour Sunday class (gulp) and an SAT class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It keeps me pretty busy. However, once you've prepped for most of the classes, you are alright. Week 3: More teaching, parent conferences. Week 4: Finish classes, do final paperwork, say goodbye, and move. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Overall, it's a very good and interesting job. I really do enjoy standing up in front of a class and teaching. The time flies by and I love it when students use what I've taught them in school. I do think that the course makes a difference. It's hard, though, to make some of the lessons interesting. I'm not a clown or an actor, so I don't like making up games or being a sideshow for the kids' enjoyment. Honestly, when you are in high school, you should be able to focus when given an interactive class. So I do my best to think of new ways to keep it interesting.

This particular school that I'm at now is great. It's a boarding/day school and the staff is really nice. They have some younger teachers (my age) and we go to games or to the bars. I haven't had much time to hang out due to the rediculous schedule and various obligations, but it's been really fun.

I went to KOP, PA this weekend to see Tim, which is always wonderful. I have the best time. This weekend, we went to see The Science of Sleep, which is directed by the same guy that directed Eternal Sunshine. It was an okay movie, I think I'd have to see it again to pick up the little nuances that I missed the first time. But the Bryn Mawr film institute is so cute, I loved it. It was me, Tim, and a bunch of other nerdy kids and it was overall perfect. We each cooked one of the two nights and generally had a good time. On Saturday, all the museums in Philly were free for college students. I dug up my UVM ID and we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Ben Franklin Institute, the Natural History Museum, and generally walked around the people pushing for us to become vegans or consume unhealthy amounts of Red Bull. My favorite part of the day was standing on this circle in the Ben Franklin Institute NASA room with Tim and watching the moon spin over our heads. That and the IMAX movie about the Deep Sea. It's funny, because when we are together we talk about things from so long ago. It seems impossible that he's the same person I've known since I was nine...which is comforting and wonderfully strange all at once. I'm going to miss him so much when I leave the glorious state of PA.

I should really prep my lesson on SAT Math (I know...I know. I thought I'd never have to do the quadratic equations ever again, but alas). Then I have to do a bunch of stuff, teach this afternoon, and this evening. Please keep in touch--let me know what you're doing and where you're going.

Love,
A