Snap

I must say, I HATE THIS SAYING!!!! I know growing up that I had some pretty bad sayings which I am sure irritated people, but I must say, I hate the "snap" saying. What the heck does that mean (please don't post a reply as this is more of a rhetorical question than anything)? Oh snap!!! Snap what? Did you hurt something? Did the snap on your shirt come undone? I know I am dating myself here, but I simply don't understand, nor do I want to understand this saying!

On a bit of a different note, over the last couple of weeks we have gotten a bit of stuff done with the house. Our renters are moving out which makes me happy! They asked to stay an extra couple of days, which is fine with me. I asked them to clear out the master bedroom so I can paint it next weekend. I want to paint it so Shawn and I can actually move into the top floor and stop living on the bottom floor in the dungeon. We are going to have to get some wood soon so we can keep warm during the winter. I am excited to have fires all winter - but I am not excited that we are constantly going to need a fire for months at a time. It's already starting to get pretty cold up there at night, and last winter was freezing!!!

Shawn and I have designed out kitchen finally! We used Ikea's kitchen planner. I am now excited because it's going to look pretty good. We are going to have to rip out 5 walls, which shouldn't be too hard since our roof is pretty well supported by the outer walls. For Christmas though, we aren't going to have much done. Just enough to make the house usable. I hope the family likes it. It will be 'homey', which is what I am hoping for. Oh, that and having our TV hooked up so my stepdad can watch TV the whole time he is up there. :) I can't wait for Christmas!!!

Exhausted

Today was a tiring day. Not because it was busy, but because I have absolutely no energy. Thank God for midterms. I have to give a midterm tomorrow and I can't wait. It seems like nothing I do rejuvenates me. Shawn and I have taken 2 days off in the last month. Every other day is filled with work, either our normal jobs or remodeling. But something good did happen - I signed up for health insurance today with San Jose State. I am excited about this because I don't have to pay for it for the next few months. I also got lots of stuff done - the applications for teaching in Placerville are going out tomorrow or Friday. The others will be worked on this weekend and will hopefully go out on Monday (that is if I can't get them done this weekend). I am now too tired to type and need to get some sleep - the dog kept me up all night last night. Gotta love our loving animals. I love her so much that it doesn't bother me too much!!! :) Off to bed now!

OK?

Why is it forgivable for an actor to attack another on the set and scream hate speech pertaining to gay people (when he is sober), and it's not ok for someone who was clearly drunk and not in his right mind to scream the same kind of hate speech to a particular religious group and be continually chastised for it? I am not saying either is ok by any means, but one is obviously more acceptable than the other. I don't get it.

The night before last

I have a bit of a pet peeve about some happenings while washing my face. I will usually roll up my sleeves when washing my face, but the other night I did not. I splashed some water on my face and lathered up - when it was time for rinsing all of the soap off, something terrible happened. Water rolled down my arm in the sleeve of the sweater I was wearing - a terrible thing! I HATE WHEN MY ARMS GET WET WHEN I AM WASHING MY FACE!!!!!!

It's been a few days

I have been lacking a bit in my posting on Xanga. Busy with work will do that I guess. 65 days until Christmas and I can't wait. I have already figured out what I am getting everyone for Christmas this year. I can't post it here because my family reads this on occasion and I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I have a feeling this year is going to be a winner. Especially with my sister and mom - I figured out something cool to get them both (and I am picking it up tomorrow). The funny thing is, is that I am spending about as much on those two that I am for everyone else put together (including everyone in Shawn's family). But, I can't resist. I think they are going to like what I have picked out. Once Christmas has passed, I will post exactly what it is I got them. I have gotten into the habit of getting everyone in our families the same gifts, with a bit of variation (like with getting extra gifts for my mom and sister). After all, they are individuals. Since Shawn and I absolutely HATE shopping, and when we do go shopping, I come back with more 'gifts' for myself then for others, we don't do it anymore. So, every year we search for cool gifts that we could get everyone. Last year we gave everyone a trio picture frame with some of my photography and the year before that we made homemade fudge - which was soooo good. The year before that we did homemade truffles, but I didn't like that too much. While something homemade is good, it's not the ideal gift. Even though we spent more time on the homemade stuff than any other gift, I still don't like that idea very much. This year though is going to take the cake - it's thoughtful and really cool....and should inspire some good conversation and memories. :) But that's all I am going to say about Christmas gifts this year. So, 65 days until Christmas - 60 days until we move!!! (I still can't find a job up there, but I have faith!!!.....well, I am working on the faith part, but I think we will be ok). :0) God is in control!!!!!!!

In Progress

Here is the house before and after getting some new paint on it! We are going to paint the trim white and have wine colored (or dark blue) facade shutters. Progress - that was the theme for this weekend.

(Taken a few weeks ago)

(Taken this morning at about 8am - no sun - half with primer)

(Taken this afternoon - the whole front, save a few areas,

Take the good with the bad I guess...

I caught a student cheating on a midterm. Of course this student denied it - so I have to figure out what to do with this student next week. I want to kick this student out of class - as this is not the first time this student has been dishonest with me. But, I must follow the rules of the college. I have a meeting with the dean sometime this week. Boy - sometimes I hate being a college instructor - you get to see the worst of people.

Now the good - we had a great time watching The Office. We love that show and can't get enough of it. Will Pam and Jim get together already? I hate the fact that Jim is at another office. Shawn and I have watched since the first episode - actually, we have been hooked since the previews of the first episode. Can't wait until next Thursday. I swear, we live for Thursday's!!!!

Yesterday's post was a downer....

Since yesterday's post was such a downer, I thought I would give you all a bit of insight into why I keep teaching even after I get irritated with my students on occasion. One of my classes (at one of the three college's I work at) really impress the pants off me. They are engaged every step of the way. They listen to lecture, ask insightful questions, really put thought into their in class activities, and they even laugh at my jokes most of the time. (They think I am kind of goofy - and I must admit, when I am in class, I AM pretty goofy). I really enjoy this particular class. I almost turned down the offer to teach this class, but at the last minute decided to stick with it. Boy am I glad I did. They are a great class (short of a couple of students with an attitude, but that's to be expected in any class) and I have already made some friends that I know I will keep in touch with over the course of the next couple of years. I love when that happens - when my students turn out to be my friends (after the semester ends of course). I still keep in contact with one of my students from the very first quarter I taught at De Anza. I am excited at the prospect of making more friends. We shall see what happens after this semester ends. More blessings......my class of students whom I adore....yipppeee!!! :) Until tomorrow! Have a blessed night.

Students.....

I don't know what it is, but my students have been irritating the crap out of me lately. I have heard every excuse in the book about why assignments are late. I even have one student contact me a week late telling me that they have been sick and are just now turning in the assignment. I hate to be mean, but I emailed this student back and said that I don't accept late work and that I needed to sit down and talk to this student as soon as possible because I am unsure if this person can pass my class. It is especially irritating because this student OBVIOUSLY has not bothered to look at the syllabus because they missed the midterm. (If you are wondering why I am being ambiguous, it's because I have to be. I can't give any identifying information about the student - male or female - due to confidentiality issues). In any case, when I was a student, there was NO WAY on God's green earth that I was EVER this clueless. Why are students so lame? I can't believe, nor will I ever understand, how a person at a college (which is not cheap by the way) can be so irresponsible. Even when I was 18 I had a professional job, paid for all of my bills including ALL college expenses and I went to school full time. I don't understand how someone can go to a college and not be responsible with their classes? This semester is not the first time I have seen this either. However, this is the first time I have had a student contact me repetitively about turning assignments in late and "wanting a second chance". I am all about second chances, but not in this case. Once a person proves themselves to be irresponsible, that's it. I have no more sympathy for that student. I know it sounds heartless, but with 150 students, and tons of excuses, I am simply sick of it.

I hate to be so negative, but I just can't take it anymore.

On a bit of a different note, I decided on an insurance plan (I think). From what I understand, I should go with the HMO instead of the PPO because the PPO is pretty darn expensive - almost double of what the HMO is. And, to top it off, Shawn's company is going to be covering the bill for the next couple of years and that gets deducted directly off the bottom line. So essentially what that means is less cash in our pockets in the future. I actually have the same insurance plan right now, except this plan is MUCH better than the one that I have now. The last 'manager', if I can really call him that, really screwed the company over with a HORRIBLE insurance plan before he left. He adopted a really bad plan just so he can save a few hundred dollars every month. Not a good person to say the least. In fact, he borrowed money from me and then moved across the US. What a freak!! You live and you learn I guess. I kind of knew at the time that he wasn't going to pay me back - it's a risk I took. But I gave him the money anyway because he really needed it.

I promise the next post will be more positive!!! :) I still feel extremely fortunate that I have health insurance at the very least.

Even More Blessings......

I got a notice in the mail about a month ago that my health insurance is going to be canceled. Needless to say, this was a bit of a stressor for me since I do not qualify for individual coverage. Did you know that only healthy people who don't get sick or have anything wrong with them can get an individual insurance policy - meaning, I can only get medical coverage through a job, either my husbands or mine. I have been on cobra for a year and a half now through the last company that I worked for since I couldn't get coverage elsewhere. I have wanted to get a different policy because I really want nothing to do with the last company I worked for since the owner of that company was completely unhinged and a bit unstable - even though he is a pastor (yeah....too long of a story to go into right now). But here's where the story gets good - I went into the communication office at SJSU last week and talked to the office manager. I was talking about how stressed I am about the whole insurance thing, and she told me that I qualify for insurance through San Jose State. Uhhhh, hello??? Why didn't I know about this before? I can get insurance - a decent policy, at NO COST TO ME. This is very good news since I can't get insurance elsewhere. Shawn's company, the one his grandfather owns provides individual policies for the employees and their families - but since I don't qualify, I am pretty much on my own with insurance without some horrible fight to get a company policy - but that's too long of a story for this post. So, I am now able to get insurance through San Jose State for the next few months, and then after that, Shawn's company will pay for cobra for me. You know what that means? That I have insurance for the next two years at least. And, it's probably going to be a decent policy which is even cooler!!! I need to go over all of my options and decide on a policy - I think there are 4 to choose from. 2 are HMO's (Kaiser and Blue Shield) and the others are PPO's (I don't know which companies those are through). What do you think I should go with? I have never had a PPO, but I hear that's the way to go. Do you have any knowledge of it? Or any advice to give me on choosing a policy? I love blessings - they make me happy!!!

Blessings over the weekend

Shawn and I traveled up to Placerville again this weekend to get some work done. Not only were our renters gone all weekend - blessings for a quite house - but something else really cool happened. We were at Sherwin Williams on Sunday to purchase paint for the exterior of the house. While we were talking to the gentleman at the counter asking about the horrible state our house is in a contractor walked in. After talking to the contractor for a bit about the house, he offered to come by the house and take a look and let us know what he thought. The guy, named Rick, came by as promised and told us what we needed to do, step by step in order to make the house look really good. Nothing like this would ever happen in the Bay Area. A perfect stranger went out of his way to help us figure out what we need to do to make our house look good and have a paint job that will last years. It am constantly amazed at the people in Placerville - mostly good stuff!!! People in Placerville are so much nicer than the people in the Bay Area. In addition to that, they will go out of their way to help you. Don't get me wrong, there are nasty drivers like there are everywhere, but for the most part people are very cordial and helpful. It's such a different experience. I love it. Many blessings have come our way!!!