This wasn't my idea...

Monday, July 16, 2007

Ok... Time for excuses...

SOoooooooooo.... Yeah. I forgot not only my username, but my password as well... AND they changed it up so you have to use some Google thing now? And so that was a whole pain... And although I'd enabled comment moderation, I didn't know you had to login to moderate them (which makes a lot of sense in retrospect...) which is why some comments from the 2006 are only appearing now (Sorry Brad and Liz! Please make more comments - I know how to moderate them now!!)...

Anyway. Nothing much new is going on. I've got myspace - which I also don't blog much on... And yeah. That's about it. How sad is that?? It's been more than a year, and I have nothing new to add. I'm going to go to bed and dwell on that, and come back when I have something interesting to post... So don't go holding your collective breath -- it may be another year!!

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Fun with Soccer...


After recovering....mostly....from the whole "World Cup loss"-thing, I've decided to post some pictures of our awesome, fun times at the Bavarian Inn...

On your left, AJ and I enjoy some beverages while watching the match... Please note AJ's left cheek. The facepainting of different German symbols in all the following pictures were done by me... (With the exception of MY cheek, which was done by AJ...)



Mary (in picture on the right) looks a little worse for wear...This was due, in part, to Uncle Wayne who came in and provided several drinks...and in part, to Ben the Bartender who provided a constant flow of JaegerMeister shots.....








Ahhhhh... The "Chest Eagle"... The crowning achievement of my facepainting career!... Only to be brought out in times of emergency -- like during the commercial break before the penalty kicks... It's magical!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

SEA... I plan to be sleepless there...

So yes, I did just use the abreviation for SEA because I spelled it out (Seattle) and it doesn't look right.. but I have no plans to click the "spell check" button... so I shortened it. The point is: I am GOING TO ... THERE!!!... WOooooooo!!!! For Thanksgiving!! I'm leaving (on a plane!) Tuesday night, and coming back Saturday night! GOOD TIMES WILL BE HAD!!! And although I know no one reads this but, pathetically, me... I'm super-excited, and wanted it to be well-known throughout the world.

Mr.B.'s going to be flying out there to see his sister, so I won't have to fly alone - which is really ever my only big hang-up about visiting people far away... and now - problem solved!! AND we're leaving for the airport from his friend in Chicago's house... so he's driving down there - another problem I don't have to worry about! Pretty awesome. I wish tomorrow was Tuesday.

More specifically, I wish tomorrow was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving... I'm pretty much dying here until then... So perhaps, until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I'll be "Sleepless in Racine"... but I'm not sure even Meg Ryan could stay awake in this boring armpit of a town... (sigh)

Love you, Seattle...Miss you Liz Webb...Mr.B. and I will be there soon!

Monday, July 17, 2006

Who will join me??...Part Deux

As written previously... I am doing this Run/Walk for Arthritis in August. I'd really appreciate any support you can give me... moral, financial, etc... I'd LOVE for you to JOIN my team of walkers.. But I'll take whatever I can get. The winning team name is....."Hot Joints"... A collaborative effort (already thinking like a team, ladies!!)... by Jackie, Hannah, and Mary! Congratulations!!

If you'd like MORE information on how to contribute or join.... please click upon the following link!

http://RunWalkToIrishFest.kintera.org//hotjoints/
(OK. I don't know how to make that a working link... so just copy and paste, my friends!...)

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Who will join me??...

I have decided to do the unthinkable ... I have decided to walk for charity. Yes. That's right. Not only that, but it's the Arthritis Foundation,...so that seemed like a pretty silly idea when I had to sign the waiver that says I'm physically fit to participate in the walk. If I HAVE Arthiritis, I'm probably not all that fit. But whatever! I'm so doing it!!!... Now all I need is a team... and a team name... and some donations... Anyone who wants to join my team is welcome. Age, race, gender, physical ability... doesn't matter! Come and join the fun! Answer the call!! August 19th in Milwaukee...

PS... You get free admission to Irish Fest that day, so that'll be cool right? Plus a T-shirt and a goody bag? And the possibility of winning other prizes?? So let me hear those glad "I will join you!"s ringing from the rooftop! I think our Team.... uh... whatever it's name turns out to be... will be AWESOME! Plus it'll be fun. And healthy! And a great way to show someone you know with Arthritis (i.e..me!) that you would love to walk beside my slow self on the way to Irish Fest!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Italy, Go Home!!...

(If anyone is keeping score in the Liz vs Martha posting war, I am ahead 1:0...)

I am in a deep, dark depression after yesterday's Germany/Italy game. At first, I thought I'd be fine... but the more people tell me "it's just a game" and "you'll be fine"...the less fine I am. Look. You people don't get it. So leave me alone in my grief. Only A.J. gets it. That's it. So back up off me. I do not want to hear your witty comments, amusing banter, or good-natured teasing.

I am certainly going to blog about the game someday...but for me, the pain is still too near. Therefore, I go off to bed - to cry, to whine, to writhe around in pain -- basically to act like an Italian soccer player! ha!

Never before did I believe these words would cross my lips, but yes.... I am officially a fan of the French soccer team. (But only until the Final ... then back to hating them, too.)

PS...I have instituted a ban on all things Italian in my life. This includes, but is not limited to: food, cars, movies, and boys of Italian geneology. The ban will be in place until I feel better -- so it may never be lifted. (The exception to this ban is my sister, Hannah. She is not Italian, but sometimes believes she is. I love her anyway. But I encourage her to tread softly until I am more myself...)

Thursday, June 22, 2006

FINE!!!!

Gosh!... It seems almost everytime I post anything it is because of someone's insistance that I do so. Ok BRAD... after you embarassed me by pointing out my lack of recent blogs on YOUR BLOG (which I will NOT link to here as my way of getting back at you... and not because I don't know how to do it.. because I DO...)...Here's the update of my life since January:

I took two more classes at Whitewater (booooo!!) - one of which I got a "C" in (I believe I deserved better, but apparently there is no debating it...). By getting a "c", my gradepoint dropped to 2.8 thereby losing me the small amount of financial aide awarded to me by that crap-hole of a school (they require a 3.0)... SOOOOOOO.. I've been pretty crabby.

I finished up my own classroom in June. I will miss and love my kids until the end of time, but I'm glad we're getting a little break! We were SO busy right u untill the end that I thought I might declare myself mentally/emotionally unfit and start getting disability pay for mental illness. That apparently does not work that way, so back to work I go... which makes me a little crabby.

There is a rumor floating around that I may get a new classroom next year. I'm not holding my breath because they are adding a 4year old Kindergarten to our already over-crowded school, but you never know! (Ps. I actually AM holding my breath most of the time in my classroom because of the pervasive smell of "death" in there... I'm not sure what died, but it certainly is taking its time decomposing...). Luckily the good people of Racine reluctantly voted to pass the referendum... I could understand their frustrations on having to vote every year to give the school district money - but my goodness, people! - spending a little money on school wouldn't be the worst way to spend a few dollars!! My kids spent two week this year on the floor of the library (and various other classrooms when those students were out of the room) because of the mice running rampant in our class!! That is not the optimal learning conditions for Special Needs students - or any students for that matter! (so I've been a little crabby...)

This summer, I will NOT be working (for pay) as a summer school teacher. Instead, I will be spending 40+ hours a week working (for NO pay) in Kenosha County with the Birth to 3 program there. I'm excited about the work, but nervous about the bill-paying part (see above comments on lack of financial aide....hmmmmm....) Basically, I will be finding money to PAY Whitewater to let me do a difficult and time consuming job for no money.... so that sounds like fun, right?

Meanwhile: my downstairs neighbor smokes and has VERY loud "relations", my apartment is hot (even with the A/C on!), I have no money, no kids, no friends that have time to hang with me (leading to my recent revelation that I should only be friends with teachers since they have all the same times free that I do...), and no real desire to better my situation. I guess you could say I'm depressed -- and crabby, as well.

BUT HEY!!! I LOVE the World Cup! I have watched ALMOST every game (exceptions being this past Friday - I was at a wedding...Sunday - Father's Day... and Monday - I went in to school to work...) But I do catch highlights and "re-runs" on ESPN late at night. As long as Germany keeps winning, I will be thrilled!! I'm pretty excited about Portugal's overthrow of Mexico, and the other "upsets" that have been going on throughout the contest - good for you, Ivory Coast! Also, I am a big fan (as only AJ knows) of the commerical with the little kids calling out their favorite players to play street soccer with them... It's great. I love that commercial. "Beckenbauer"!... classic.

I will be at the Bavarian Inn (in Glendale) to watch the Germany game on Saturday - 9:00 AM. You will know me by my Ballack jersey (number 13) which has been very lucky so far in the tournament...Also by the facepainting... A tradition we tried to cut out of the last game, only to have the game tied with time running out! A hastily painted flag on each cheek, and my former Hansa player - Neuville - makes the game-winning goal with less than a minute left in stoppage time. It was so clutch. I will never go without my facepaint again. I feel that made all the difference....

There! Happy now???