Sweeps and a Sweep

You know how this week was National Turn Off Your TV Week? It turns out we were pretty busy lately (plus I've picked up a few healthier habits) but were the networks in on this or what? Was it just me or were all your favorite shows just really REALLY lame recap clips when they have already had a recap clip showing this season?? I think it's false advertising to say that the show is first run, but then have it be an hour long series of clips over the past two years. This is the saddest of ways to gear up watchers for May Sweeps.

On the other hand, I gave Dr. J a solid beating in putt-putt last week.

There's not really a short version but this is the gist ...

So beginning in August of 2006, I'll be teaching High School Physics.

You are officially hearing about it today because after many months of RI.DIC.U.LOUS amounts of paperwork, detaisls and studying for PRAXIS exams so that I can be admitted into an alternative certification program, it's all but done. I have one job offer on the table and will hopefully have another tomorrow and then it's just a matter of three years of teaching, classes, seminars before they give me a teaching certificate.

That's it!

It has been an arduous process but, honestly, I can't wait to get started. I "quit" the PhD program before this semester started (back in January) but I had to keep taking classes because I'm employed through it based on full time student status. All those papers this semester? Probably no long term credit. We'll see. So I've been very e-quiet because I was holding down my job, being a student, oh and I took on another job and have been trying to get certified.

Anyway, for those of you that are concerned, nothing has really changed. I'm still interested in Engineering Education but the program I had begun was still too much of an engineering degree (I don't need another one!) - basically I decided it wasn't providing me the educational experience I had hoped for. I want to get into K-12 Math/Science Curriculum in the future ... thus, I need teaching and an education degree. But that's for future worries. For the immediate future, I'm excited about starting teaching full time!!

It was never really a secret or anything, I just sort of wanted things to pan out before it was officially .. official.

Now there are two women of the house

Last night Dr. J and I had a scare. The little professor went out for her evening stroll and didn't come back. I know you won't believe it until you see it for yourself, but normally when I let her out she comes back in when I call her, whether she's ready to return or not.

We don't usually let her roam around once it's really dark so about 9 last night I called her

... and called her

... and called her.

Like true parents, we immediately started thinking the worst - our teenager was out there getting knocked up. I quickly remembered that she had been fixed and at least we won't be having babies before she can graduate from high school, but we weren't prepared for her to become a woman this early in her baby life!! About every 10 minutes or so we walked outside and called her, and called her, with no response. Maybe she fell out of a tree, maybe she's been hit by a car - the horrible things that went through our minds! Dr. J gave it one last try about 10:30 and I went out and called her twice. Nothing. As I turned to come in, I half-heartedly gave it one more shot and ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Prof. M runs by me into the house like nothing had happened.

She did look a little older when she returned. Walked a little more ... worldly. I'm not sure what happened out there, and I don't think I want to know.

And the game comes to an end

Today is the day when I give my Bingo Final Presentation and boy do I have some results. We are jazzing it up a little so it's more One Act Play than Class Presentation, so while it will be more fun and hopefully more interesting, it also is causing me quite a lot of butterflies. I like to think that down deep I'm really a great actress in the body of a mediocre engineer, alas, my two and a half minute Bingo Artifact Monologue is giving me the flutters.

Wish me luck!

A solution for loneliness

If anyone hasn't seen this yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. This is the cutest thing I think I've ever seen. It makes me want to knit a one-armed sweater for Mona.

Tree Sweater

A Toasty Mona

A Toasty Mona
Originally uploaded by missyajg.

This little kitten is plagued with the same disease as every other cute kitty in the world: she cannot let an opened door or an unwatched bag go unnoticed. Here we see her basking in the warmth of the dryer, exhausted from hours of rummaging through my purse and backpack.

Dee dee da duuuum!

Long time on hold listening to saxophones and flutes moan out a little elevator music ... ...

...

...


...



sigh.

Hey, but we did get grass planted this weekend. So that's good!

(dee dee daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa da doooooooooooo ... deeeeeeeee da de do .....)

we are now plus one mower and one rubbermaid storage unit

In the event that our grass decides to gestate and oh, I dunno ... grow, we are now fully prepared. Over the last couple months, Dr. J and I have compiled quite the collection of fertilizers, rakes, hoses, sprinklers and small garden tools, all of which have lived happily in the 3 ft x 3 ft covered concrete space just outside our side door or happily stored underneath the sink in the guest bath. However, with the addition of Moe, the mower, the scales finally tipped in favor of a rubbermaid storage unit. This has been quite the challenge for lawn care rookies, such as ourselves. I'm sure it comes as a surprise to no one that neither Dr. J nor myself has spent much time slaving in the garden.

We are now in full on attack mode in a very determined effort to make the "contractor's sod" either take or begin proactive medicinal lawn treatments. We live mere blocks from some of the most beautiful lawns in Columbia, which doesn't do much to console our frustration that our sod is a strong gust of wind away from loitering on our neighbor's lawn. I think I saw a tear well up in the corner of Dr. J's eye as we drove by The Perfect Lawn this afternoon. Hang in there, J. Our labors are not in vain.

I am proud of all of you, but that doesn't mean i don't think you're crazy, cause I do

This weekend, I have two friends in the St. Louis Marathon, one (maybe two!?) in the St. Louis Half Marathon, one in the Paris Marathon, and one in the Ironman in Arizona. Good luck to you all!!!

Wow. You'd think with all those good examples around me, I'd be a pillar of athleticism and good health.

You'd be wrong though. Dr. J and I have decided we are going to split a pan of turtle brownies and then take an absurdly long nap on Sunday in your honor.

Run like the wind!!

Dance to the Bingo

My life of late has been primarily composed of three things: The Girls (now in Season 5 L&L are together!!), Weeds, and Bingo. The weather here has been beautiful lately so I can't complain about the weeds, I'm actually enjoying it! I kept meaning to go into more detail about the Bingo side of life, but I just spend SO much time with Bingo and related activities that I haven't gone much into detail.

B-i-n-g-o isn't the cute song you used to sing or game you played in class to win the cool #2 pencil. No sir-ee, it's a lifestyle. I kid you not when I say that most of the players at my hall* are there between 4 and 6 days a week, some even 7! I did an interview this past week with one of the players and found out that she Bingos about 5 days a week had a mental spending limit of $60/day. Ummm, can you say really nice mortgage?!?! She also travels to play the big pots, and big in this case is somewhere between $50K and $100K. But before you all jump off the couch to join her, it costs $380 to enter.

The game itself, however, is UBER fast-paced and quite challenging. I've been playing for a couple of months and have never had the guts to call Bingo because I'm so unsure of when I won. And no, you don't win with only 5 across, up or down. I even have myself a small collection of Dabbin' Fever Daubers, a bingo-ist's most important tool. And if you ever decide to find yourself a Bingo Hall, be warned, the rules of behavior are many and newcomers are noticed and unwelcome.

This has been an education unlike one I've never had and yes, all those papers that I've been writing this semester that I've complained about on this site, during which time many of you received ridiculous forwards in my attempts to avoid writing, were all about Bingo. Thank God the end is near though, I've had about all the bingo analysis I can take. So Hooray for only two more papers and a project,

* my research team picked Bingo Halls and each of us went to one Hall once a week for two months for data collection