WORK WEEK!? How does one do this whole WORK-ALL-WEEK thing? I mean, does it start on monday and not stop until I can't work anymore? I mean, I call the shots here, right? What? Well, yes. I do. I'm really loving this whole subbing thing because I just pick up the jobs that I want. I worked at the coffee shop today and came home and helped Seth write a 14 page paper. I'm no genius when it comes to essay-writing, but I sure as hell am a lot better than a good majority of people....and as much as I love him, this includes Seth.
Don't worry, honey, I'm just giving you a hard time. You're great at lots of other things- like cooking, cleaning, fixing motors, and driving long distances. Keep it up.
In other news, life is great here in South Texas, 1500 miles from home. Each day I get to meet new pelicans and learn more about why 90 horsepower Evinrudes break and how they can be fixed. I also learn about what juices are great mixers with rum, and most importantly, how to use grenadine. I bought a mango at the HEB yesterday- so I ate it. It was gross. EFF MANGOS- they weren't meant to be eaten.
...I later found out it was far from ripe.
Well, Seth leaves tomorrow for some secret mission in Mexico that he can't tell me about. So I imagine he is going to shoot the bad guys and save the innocent good people- RIGHT HUM? Making the world a better place?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Routine. Find it.
I find myself being very quick-witted with the students while I'm teaching. If a student stands up while I'm TRINE TO WORK, I don't say-
"Katie- Why are you up?"
Instead, there's a 3 part series in each "quip" I shoot.
"Nathan. There is no reason for your to be out of your seat right now. Find your seat and put your bottom in it."
In this phrase, I am using the student's name- making it personal.
I am restating the direct instructions of "sitting in your seat" and finally, I throw in a quick phrase that will make the class kind of giggle because it's not the STANDARD instruction- instead it's a phrase where I used the word bottom and it was pretty appropriate. Bottom is a keyword for children to recognize as serious. How often do little kids use the word "bottom"? That's right. Only adults ever tell you to sit down. Bottom- use it.
I have got to get myself in more of a routine, lately. I got the whole "wake up" and "go to bed" down, but I need to consistently get the mail, take out the trash, write in my blog, and pay all the bills. That last one I just listed is mainly the important one. I just convince myself so easily that I have other things that I'd rather do...I'm really good at convincing myself. So, that's a question I'll ask the next time I can find the consistency to post in my blog.
"Katie- Why are you up?"
Instead, there's a 3 part series in each "quip" I shoot.
"Nathan. There is no reason for your to be out of your seat right now. Find your seat and put your bottom in it."
In this phrase, I am using the student's name- making it personal.
I am restating the direct instructions of "sitting in your seat" and finally, I throw in a quick phrase that will make the class kind of giggle because it's not the STANDARD instruction- instead it's a phrase where I used the word bottom and it was pretty appropriate. Bottom is a keyword for children to recognize as serious. How often do little kids use the word "bottom"? That's right. Only adults ever tell you to sit down. Bottom- use it.
I have got to get myself in more of a routine, lately. I got the whole "wake up" and "go to bed" down, but I need to consistently get the mail, take out the trash, write in my blog, and pay all the bills. That last one I just listed is mainly the important one. I just convince myself so easily that I have other things that I'd rather do...I'm really good at convincing myself. So, that's a question I'll ask the next time I can find the consistency to post in my blog.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Where am I? Seriously....
Well, I haven't written anything in here for several weeks. Today is a rainy day in Corpus Christi, TX. The weather down here is generally awesome, sunny, and warm. In fact, I could be a weatherman around here because the 7 day forecast is pretty much always the same. 90/sunny/warm. Today, however, we have Tropical Storm Karl. Igor is approaching, we'll see where it goes after Bermuda.
We woke up, cooked breakfast, and realized we couldn't sit around and stare at each other while we took sips of gin and tonics. Instead, we drove all over Corpus while it was raining and shopped at pawn shops. I saw a fairly prospective deal with a touch screen HP computer...But we'll see.
I think I like living here in Texas. It probably helps that I don't live in Western Corpus, but I do like to visit that place every so often, just so I can watch Tupac and T.I do multiplication videos. I thought that was AWESOME. The sun is coming out, as I type this. Seth decided to make a purchase on a recent boat deal. I think we can make it quite productive.
In other news, today was a pretty fun day. We bought the xbox, but NOW I am experimenting with the free trials- Family Fun Night? SUCKS! Sure, you've got connect four, but let me play for more than 15 seconds!! Our friends Michelle and Blair are coming over with some pizza here in a minute, and I have a feeling we are going to GRUB DOWN. Life is good, can't complain. - Oh wait, actually- I can. Our garage smells like shrimp for some reason and I can't find the bag! I know there's a bag of shrimp in there somewhere. Rut ro. Time to get to the bottom of that!
We woke up, cooked breakfast, and realized we couldn't sit around and stare at each other while we took sips of gin and tonics. Instead, we drove all over Corpus while it was raining and shopped at pawn shops. I saw a fairly prospective deal with a touch screen HP computer...But we'll see.
I think I like living here in Texas. It probably helps that I don't live in Western Corpus, but I do like to visit that place every so often, just so I can watch Tupac and T.I do multiplication videos. I thought that was AWESOME. The sun is coming out, as I type this. Seth decided to make a purchase on a recent boat deal. I think we can make it quite productive.
In other news, today was a pretty fun day. We bought the xbox, but NOW I am experimenting with the free trials- Family Fun Night? SUCKS! Sure, you've got connect four, but let me play for more than 15 seconds!! Our friends Michelle and Blair are coming over with some pizza here in a minute, and I have a feeling we are going to GRUB DOWN. Life is good, can't complain. - Oh wait, actually- I can. Our garage smells like shrimp for some reason and I can't find the bag! I know there's a bag of shrimp in there somewhere. Rut ro. Time to get to the bottom of that!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Kayaking, biking, beaches, and painting- OH MY
Well, I think it is official: the newness is starting to fade. Remember when you got that awesome toy from Santa for christmas and you were convinced that you'd never ant anything ever again? I do...Call it greed...call it spoiled...either way...Seth and I officially started asking each other "what's next?" today when we were taking inventory of our activities here on the island.
So, we did what any other normal, adventure loving, excitement addicts would do: we hopped in the car and drove to a place we'd never been before with the sole intention of meeting people and making friends. Well, I like having that natural inclination because it pretty much guarantees fun and new experiences. And SURE ENOUGH- we went to the "mail and more" store (HAHAHA...don't judge...there are like 5 stores on this place)and faxed off some paperwork and Seth ordered a latte.
Ok, wow, this is getting slow. Time for cliffnotes.
-The health inspector showed up.
-We drove to the marine store to get a cast net.
-Made friends with Fred and Tim- both captains around here. Got some good fishin' info!
-Came home and I started reading my "How the States got their Shapes" book....and fell asleep on the couch.
-I woke up to Seth on the phone with somebody about some boat.
-We made gin and tonics in water bottles and hopped on our bikes and went for a bike ride to go check out this boat.
-It was a piece, pretty much...bad fiber glass...and seth almost broke it.
OH, side note- there are these things down here I call sand spurs- but they re like little balls of pain that stick to anything- and stick INSIDE of your skin without even thinking twice.
Kay bye. Abrupt ending.
So, we did what any other normal, adventure loving, excitement addicts would do: we hopped in the car and drove to a place we'd never been before with the sole intention of meeting people and making friends. Well, I like having that natural inclination because it pretty much guarantees fun and new experiences. And SURE ENOUGH- we went to the "mail and more" store (HAHAHA...don't judge...there are like 5 stores on this place)and faxed off some paperwork and Seth ordered a latte.
Ok, wow, this is getting slow. Time for cliffnotes.
-The health inspector showed up.
-We drove to the marine store to get a cast net.
-Made friends with Fred and Tim- both captains around here. Got some good fishin' info!
-Came home and I started reading my "How the States got their Shapes" book....and fell asleep on the couch.
-I woke up to Seth on the phone with somebody about some boat.
-We made gin and tonics in water bottles and hopped on our bikes and went for a bike ride to go check out this boat.
-It was a piece, pretty much...bad fiber glass...and seth almost broke it.
OH, side note- there are these things down here I call sand spurs- but they re like little balls of pain that stick to anything- and stick INSIDE of your skin without even thinking twice.
Kay bye. Abrupt ending.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Holiday Weekend? Try Holiday Life.
I am rather torn, lately. We've been in Texas for 8 days now and whenever my parents call, or my friends ask me what's up, I feel like I want to tell them everything going on! Considering I'm a yapper and I talk....a lot...often...I find myself going on and on about how awesome life is down here in Padre Island. I remember wondering before I left Raleigh if I'd spend my nights crying myself to sleep wishing so much I hadn't left. It hasn't happened. In fact, the only rut of emotional drama I went through (note how detached I am from accountability on THAT sentence...ahaha) was in Biloxi, MS. I hated it there. I can't really put my finger on WHY I got so sad, but I'm fairly confident (in retrospect) that I was both extremely uncomfortable around excessive gambling- by the poorest of the poor and my halting awareness that I wasn't in "Kansas" anymore.
BUT EFF THAT ESS NOW, B! I'm in TEXAS and it's AWESOME. I haven't released this blog to the public yet, so I don't know if/when anyone will ever read this- but if I can have one sentence of preaching in my own blog:
If you ever have the opportunity to jump off a cliff. Do it. It took me 27 years to jump off a cliff. Fortunately, the other side of my cliff was a 4,00o foot drop into an beautiful house on an island with a wonderfully sweet, smart, and hawt guy named Seth....but I really had no idea what I was walking in to.
And just to bring it all back to reality, it has only been 8 days, HAHA. I still have a lot of living left to do. Seth reports to work on the 13th of July and is actually leaving for a week later on this month...and then for 2 weeks in August. It's ok, though, I figure- we've spent a lot of time far apart. I think we've got the long distance thing down pat.
Usually, I'd quite typing here because nobody likes blogs where people ramble, but I realized that nobody actually does see this. And lord knows, if somebody does read this it'll prolly be me because, furthermore, I'm the only one that really gives two shits about what's going on with me.
So, today Seth and I decided to hop in the car and continue exploring this new place we call home. We live on Padre Island. About 15 minutes north of Padre is Mustang Park and then further north of that is Port Aransas. NOT PORT ARKANSAS....serious difference here- you'll look not only like a NO0B to say ARKANSAS, but it's almost like dropping the "N" word...I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to make a connection for those out there....trying to make a point...oh yeah, for myself. ANYWAY- so Seth and I drove his truck out on this beach where there were thousands of people and hundreds of cars- parked on the beach! It was just like Emerald Isle, except the people were slightly better looking and drunker....oh yeah, and none of those pesky marines were trying to pester you to play cornhole. BUT there was cornhole! Seth and I went walking out on this Jedi- okay, not Jedi, a JETTI, and just as we were going out there this HUGE and I mean ENORMOUS ship was PLOWING through this inlet. Seth claims this ship was 400 feet long- omg, it was hands down the largest ship I've ever seen moving in water. I snatched a picture.
Anyway, things are going well. To say the least. I'm listening to my Tribe Called Quest Pandora station as I type this and it makes me feel like I'm at home...I am at home! That's the beauty of this whole thing.
BUT EFF THAT ESS NOW, B! I'm in TEXAS and it's AWESOME. I haven't released this blog to the public yet, so I don't know if/when anyone will ever read this- but if I can have one sentence of preaching in my own blog:
If you ever have the opportunity to jump off a cliff. Do it. It took me 27 years to jump off a cliff. Fortunately, the other side of my cliff was a 4,00o foot drop into an beautiful house on an island with a wonderfully sweet, smart, and hawt guy named Seth....but I really had no idea what I was walking in to.
And just to bring it all back to reality, it has only been 8 days, HAHA. I still have a lot of living left to do. Seth reports to work on the 13th of July and is actually leaving for a week later on this month...and then for 2 weeks in August. It's ok, though, I figure- we've spent a lot of time far apart. I think we've got the long distance thing down pat.
Usually, I'd quite typing here because nobody likes blogs where people ramble, but I realized that nobody actually does see this. And lord knows, if somebody does read this it'll prolly be me because, furthermore, I'm the only one that really gives two shits about what's going on with me.
So, today Seth and I decided to hop in the car and continue exploring this new place we call home. We live on Padre Island. About 15 minutes north of Padre is Mustang Park and then further north of that is Port Aransas. NOT PORT ARKANSAS....serious difference here- you'll look not only like a NO0B to say ARKANSAS, but it's almost like dropping the "N" word...I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to make a connection for those out there....trying to make a point...oh yeah, for myself. ANYWAY- so Seth and I drove his truck out on this beach where there were thousands of people and hundreds of cars- parked on the beach! It was just like Emerald Isle, except the people were slightly better looking and drunker....oh yeah, and none of those pesky marines were trying to pester you to play cornhole. BUT there was cornhole! Seth and I went walking out on this Jedi- okay, not Jedi, a JETTI, and just as we were going out there this HUGE and I mean ENORMOUS ship was PLOWING through this inlet. Seth claims this ship was 400 feet long- omg, it was hands down the largest ship I've ever seen moving in water. I snatched a picture.
Anyway, things are going well. To say the least. I'm listening to my Tribe Called Quest Pandora station as I type this and it makes me feel like I'm at home...I am at home! That's the beauty of this whole thing.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Padre Island is my home now.
So Seffro and I moved in to the coolest, dopest pad EVAR on North Padre Island. We got stuck in the sand Friday on Packery Chanel. We were just looking for houses and I was staring at the GPS when I realize seth is throwing the suburban in reverse, then drive, then reverse, then drive again and we're not budging. Then he goes, "get help"....haha....I was like, "WHAT?! are you CEREAL?"...But there I was- on a sandy marsh, stuck in sand, with all of our belongings in the back of this truck. Meanwhile we were sinking about 9 inches into the soft sand. I started walking to the nearest truck that we passed about 10 minutes prior. A man with his two sons fishing. "Hey, sorry to bother y'all," I yelled over the swamp,"do y'all mind pulling us out? We seem to be stuck." This guy, I later found was named the same as my own father, Josh, was more than gracious and willing to help pull us out. I thought we were home free- I hopped in his four wheel drive F150 and we went to pull the truck out. Sure enough, we got Josh stuck too! Oh man, it was quite an adventure. I wound up walking around the island and turned a sand- duned corner to find these high school kids drinking cold beer and crabbing. They had this ridiculously huge monster truck look-alike. They pulled us out like the dentist pulling out a wisdom tooth!
All was well.
Either way, it's 10:45, we're about to watch the movie from the local "red box" called Religulous. We had our second great dinner we cooked in our awesome new kitchen. Our back yard backs up to the canal system that pours into the gulf. There's hurricane Alex coming. No big deal- just another excuse to drink cold beer.
Movie is on. More to come. Loving Texas. Can't get much better- oh yeah- I got a job at the local coffee shop. NBD.
All was well.
Either way, it's 10:45, we're about to watch the movie from the local "red box" called Religulous. We had our second great dinner we cooked in our awesome new kitchen. Our back yard backs up to the canal system that pours into the gulf. There's hurricane Alex coming. No big deal- just another excuse to drink cold beer.
Movie is on. More to come. Loving Texas. Can't get much better- oh yeah- I got a job at the local coffee shop. NBD.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Edna doesn't SOUND like a small town in Texas......
Driving for hours on end really gives me a chance to evaluate my moods. I won't call them "swings", but my moods do adjust according to a few factors: how long it has been since I've eaten, how safe I feel, and how excited I am to be somewhere OTHER than where I am at the moment.
Does that make sense? Well, as a run down- not to bore you- of what I've been up to, I'll spare you with lengthy seemingly witty sentences and just do bullet points:
-left Raleigh on Thursday night
-Hung out in Greensboro all weekend
-Left for Texas on Tuesday morning at 6:00 am
-Arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm
-Touched "oil" saturated Gulf at 8:00 pm
-Drank a $3.50 gin and tonic in a sketchy Biloxi casino restaurant
-Threw away $5.00 in stupid slots next to some 40 year old woman who looked 90
-Woke up at 7:00 am Wednesday
-Sleeping in Edna, Texas tonight- Wednesday night
Gosh, the more I realize it, the more I realize how busy we actually have been. Seth and I ate dinner at this mexican restaurant that Sarah recommended to us. Sarah works at this luxurious Best Western next to the Whattaburger here in Edna. Stone Cold Steve Austin is from Edna, btw....found that out after I googled this place.
Texas isn't so bad. I liked Louisiana the most out of this trip. We are about 120 miles north of Corpus Christi. We are going to wake up early in the morning and go to Corpus Christi. Hey hum, what are we going to do when we get to Corpus Christi?
....get a couch and a TV stand.
Does that make sense? Well, as a run down- not to bore you- of what I've been up to, I'll spare you with lengthy seemingly witty sentences and just do bullet points:
-left Raleigh on Thursday night
-Hung out in Greensboro all weekend
-Left for Texas on Tuesday morning at 6:00 am
-Arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm
-Touched "oil" saturated Gulf at 8:00 pm
-Drank a $3.50 gin and tonic in a sketchy Biloxi casino restaurant
-Threw away $5.00 in stupid slots next to some 40 year old woman who looked 90
-Woke up at 7:00 am Wednesday
-Sleeping in Edna, Texas tonight- Wednesday night
Gosh, the more I realize it, the more I realize how busy we actually have been. Seth and I ate dinner at this mexican restaurant that Sarah recommended to us. Sarah works at this luxurious Best Western next to the Whattaburger here in Edna. Stone Cold Steve Austin is from Edna, btw....found that out after I googled this place.
Texas isn't so bad. I liked Louisiana the most out of this trip. We are about 120 miles north of Corpus Christi. We are going to wake up early in the morning and go to Corpus Christi. Hey hum, what are we going to do when we get to Corpus Christi?
....get a couch and a TV stand.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday and still no Texas
Well, it is day 4 of my move to Texas and I haven't made too much progress. Seth and I are camped out here at his parent's wonderful house in Summerfield, NC. It's very nice up here and it is a good in-between spot for me to get used to not being at home with my friends and family in Raleigh. I'm not as emotional as I was about a week ago. Today is father's day and I haven't cried or gotten too homesick. I am a huge baby about that, but hey- suck it. I'm the one moving to Texas.
My phone crashed yesterday. I thought I may have dreamed it, or had a couple too many beers/gin and tonics on Friday night. But nooo- I got what many people on youtube call the "White Screen of Death". Seth and his whole family escorted me to the Apple store to get it settled. Thank goodness everything worked out well and nobody had to get shot.
...what are the odds?
Well, I'm going to sign out now. We plan on leaving first thing on Tuesday morning. I'll keep updates coming as I find time. Not like anyone is reading this. I have to prove to myself that I can be consistent before I start sharing this with anyone.
Heres
Salud!
My phone crashed yesterday. I thought I may have dreamed it, or had a couple too many beers/gin and tonics on Friday night. But nooo- I got what many people on youtube call the "White Screen of Death". Seth and his whole family escorted me to the Apple store to get it settled. Thank goodness everything worked out well and nobody had to get shot.
...what are the odds?
Well, I'm going to sign out now. We plan on leaving first thing on Tuesday morning. I'll keep updates coming as I find time. Not like anyone is reading this. I have to prove to myself that I can be consistent before I start sharing this with anyone.
Heres
Salud!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Steers and Queers, Eh?
So I'm moving to Texas. I had a strange epiphany in WalMart tonight. I decided to document all the various types of people based on the WalMarts of a region. So, here I am. Starting a blog all because of a trip to WalMart.
The title of this blog? I chose "Today, I Moo" because I've always heard that Texas was full of steers and queers. Sorry, Mom, but people DO say that. But, you're welcome mom, as much as I love Ellen, Today, I Moo.
So- More to come on this blog at blogspot.com. I'm going to document my thoughts, concerns, experiences, homesicknesses, and other amusing things that only I really find entertaining.
On that note, I'm completely sober, it's a Friday night, my computer is almost dead and my cell phone also needs to charge. I wonder if that's a sign. A sign to MOVE TO TEXAS! Let's go!
The title of this blog? I chose "Today, I Moo" because I've always heard that Texas was full of steers and queers. Sorry, Mom, but people DO say that. But, you're welcome mom, as much as I love Ellen, Today, I Moo.
So- More to come on this blog at blogspot.com. I'm going to document my thoughts, concerns, experiences, homesicknesses, and other amusing things that only I really find entertaining.
On that note, I'm completely sober, it's a Friday night, my computer is almost dead and my cell phone also needs to charge. I wonder if that's a sign. A sign to MOVE TO TEXAS! Let's go!
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