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!!!

Something I appreciate

I was driving home today from work, San Jose State, and there were many crossing guards in the area. I must say, I appreciate crossing guards!

I have heard a number of stories where crossing guards have been hit by a car passing by, and intentionally put themselves in harms way in order to protect the kids that they are serving! I must pay tribute to those crossing guards. They are there faithfully everyday, early in the morning, before a lot of us are even out of bed - all for the sake of keeping the kids protected from passing cars. They are good people!!!!

Apple Hill

Today Shawn and I took a bit of time off from prepping the house for painting and we went to Apple Hill. I have never been to Apple Hill before, even though we have owned a house in the area for a year and came up here numerous times before that when we were dating and married. Today was pretty fun. I finally learned what Apple Hill is. This is exciting because I have wanted to discover what it was for some time.

I have finally learned that Apple Hill is a vast area of land in the Placerville/Camino area that has lots and lots of apple farms. Here, the owners of the farms make apple cider, apple pie and pretty much everything else apple you can think of. They open their farms for people to come visit - they sell lots of items - crafty stuff, jewelery and the like. They also show how apple juice is made, sell baked items (I know where I am getting my apple pies for Christmas this year - YUMMY!!!), and you can even go and pick your own apples. There are about 50 or so farms that do this and the whole point is to go and visit a bunch of these farms and just enjoy what they have to offer. You travel around from farm to farm, check out the crafts, buy apple stuff (cider, pies etc..) and you make a day of it. I have never done this before, and even though Shawn and I only took time to go to one farm, we had a really good time. We were only there for about an hour, but it was a welcomed break. Now that we are back I should get to the rest of the school stuff (or work, as I refer to it since they do pay me) that I need to accomplish before tomorrow morning. Until later....

(Oh yeah, in case you read my last entry, I wanted to let you all know that I am healing from what I witnessed. Thanks for praying (thanks Annie for being so concerned) for me, the prayers are helping a great deal. Talk to you all tomorrow!

**********Graphic Blog - BE WARNED**********

Please stop reading this entry if you cannot handle horrible information. This blog is really heavy - so be warned.

Today was a bad day to say the least. I tried parking in two parking lots with no success. So, I headed over to the 10th street parking garage because I knew that there would be parking there. I got out of my car and walked down the flight of stairs to get to the ground. I was walking for approximately 15 seconds before I witnessed something horrible. A woman, who appeared to be a transient or from one of the halfway houses from the area hit the ground. In fact, I saw her fall the last 10 feet of her drop and then hit the pavement with incredible force. People were standing all around the woman not doing anything. At first I was in shock about what I had just witnessed, but tried to call 911 anyway. My cell phone did not get through to 911 because I dialed it wrong in a panic - but there was someone else already on the phone with the police who had called at exactly the same time as me. As I was walking over the woman to see if she was ok, I instructed a student to quickly go inside into the Admissions and Records building to get someone to call for help. I then walked over to the woman and asked if she was ok. Gasping for air, but still breathing a bit, she didn't respond but appeared to be alive. The university police had come a minute later and tried to get the woman to respond - at this point she was still breathing, but she was not responsive. The police then moved the two witnesses, myself and a student, to where we were not able to see the woman. We were held for about 20 minutes and then questioned. They finally let us go since I had classes to instruct and the student had a midterm today.

Apparently she committed suicide by jumping from the 4th or 5th floor of the parking garage right in front of us. While she was still breathing when I went over to assure her that help was on it's way, she died shortly after the police arrived.

Today is a hard day for me considering the suicide of my father a couple of years ago. Now, I witnessed a person jump to their death right in front of me. I have no idea why I had to witness this, but apparently there is a reason. These are the times I throw my hands in the air, wondering why. A the same time I can't help but to trust in God fully and know that even when thing like this happen, He is still on His throne and through it all, is still in control no matter what happens.

I let my classes out early today, simply because witnessing such a tragedy like this had taken such an effect on me. I explained what I had just seen, and they understood. I can't help but relive the experience over and over again in my mind. I just wish I had gotten there a few minutes earlier - maybe I could have done something. Please pray for me. Even though I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is in control, this has still affected me deeply.

The summer of lame TV

This summer has been horrible for TV watching. I am addicted to a number of TV shows and almost 'need' to watch them on a weekly basis. (Please don't freak out - I can give up TV whenever I want and don't actually 'need' it - so please don't message me 'challenging me' to fast from TV for a week or a month or whatever). In any case, The Office premiers this week. The husband and I can't wait. We have been waiting ALL SUMMER to find out what happened with Jim and Pam. I have a bad feeling that Pam got married anyway and Jim is now in the other office working - but we will find out on Thursday. Gosh I can't wait until Thursday!!! I just hope that I am not disappointed with the outcome of what the summer brought. Apparently they are 'reporting' in real time meaning that they ended in May and this next episode returns in September. This kind of sucks because we missed a whole 3 months of the characters lives. Yikes!!! Watching this TV show is almost like reading a book - the characters become almost real to me and I have to know what's going on with them. Like reading the Harry Potter books - right now they are in limbo, almost as if the DVD or VCR is on pause. Once the next book comes out, or the TV season resumes the DVD or VCR us unpaused and the characters come alive again. I can't wait until that happens. Ugghhhhh! The suspense is killing me.

99 days left until Christmas

Oh my! There are only 99 days until Christmas......I can't wait!!!

It was a Starbucks day

Today was an interesting day. I woke up this morning with ample time to get to work but ended up thinking I was running late. I was in fact about 15 minutes early which allowed me to stop by Starbucks before class. I ordered a grande pumpkin spice coffee - I didn't order a latte because it is about double the price and we are trying to save pennies for the house remodel. So, I spent $1.65 on coffee this morning that was pretty good.

I did not eat breakfast this morning because I didn't have time, nor did I want to waste 700 calories on something from Starbucks. Even their low fat stuff has tons of calories. I didn't feel like having a 1,000 calorie breakfast. If that were the case I may as well eat nachos for breakfast. In any case the coffee hit my system which gave me tons of energy for class. I am not quite sure my students appreciated it, but I sure had a great deal of fun being goofy and making fun of some of my students. I think that presenting in front of a group of people everyday is a good thing for me. I am not as eager to talk when Shawn gets home which I think he appreciates.

I was thinking today - I really like teaching. As much as it sucks to prepare for classes, I really like it. I don't have a boss looking over my shoulder every second of the day. I get in, get out and get on with my life after teaching - I mean all except for the grading papers and preparing and such. But, the fact that I get to work for 4 hours a day makes me happy. Shawn and I recently had a conversation about how I really just want to be a housewife. I would like to take care of our house, cook for Shawn and garden all day long. With our house being as big as it is, I think it's going to take quite a bit of work to keep it clean on a continual basis.

Tonight I am off to do a focus group with a company based in Sunnyvale. I think I am tasting Salmon tonight which should prove to be pretty interesting since I don't really like Salmon all that much. I had a bit of a bad experience with Salmon on a mission trip once and still haven't recovered. It is a 2 hour focus group and they pay $75 for the time that I am there, so it's almost worth it. Hey, it's $75 more than I had before right? I will post later if something interesting happens tonight - which I am sure it will since it's something I am tasting and I really don't like it. I will think of it as a Fear Factor challenge. Oh crap - I just thought of something, what if it's canned salmon or something and I have to eat salmon salad or the like - yikes!!! Or what if it's raw salmon or a hybrid salmon? Maybe it's going to be a cross between salmon and squirrel and I have to judge whether or not the general public is going to like it? Uh oh, I don't know about this focus group now that I actually think about it. I know I am going to get stuck eating something that is going to make me gag. I guess I will find out in a couple of hours. I will update later. Wish me luck!

Update: We taste tested farm raised salmon. It was pretty good. I now have a new appreciation for salmon, which is good because I should be eating it A LOT more than I do not which is almost never. :)

We're not going to take this lying down...LOL

The weirdest thing just happened. I walked out to the mailbox at our apartment complex and observed a man laying on the ground right near where I needed to be. (Instead of taking a picture of the man, I decided to post a pic of my doggie laying down because she is MUCH cuter than a weird guy sleeping in the grass). In any case, I walked out to drop off our nextflix video - bringing the dog outside with me of course. Once I saw the man laying on the ground I promptly turned around and went back to the apartment to get Shawn (I don't feel safe without the man). We quietly walked over to him, about 20 feet away and asked him if he was ok. He said yes. We asked him if he needed assistance and of course he said no. So, Shawn and I walked back to the apartment and decided we should call someone for help. Good thing the apartment complex has security because the last thing we need is to call the cops and have to stay up all night to fill out a police report.

There was one thing kind of creepy about the situation - I mean, other than the fact that a man was laying on the lawn at almost 1am. Shawn and I just got finished watching 24 and I had this weird sense that he was going to get up and come after me with a gun. For those of you who watch 24 you know why. Everyone in that show is a suspect and carries a gun. So, before I went back to the apartment to get Shawn I literally RAN back to the apartment for fear that the inebriated (or so I assume) man got up in a fit of manipulation and deceived me into thinking he needed help but really he wanted to kidnap me and hold me for ransom all the while threatening national security. Then, CTU would have to get involved, Jack Bauer would inevitably come to my rescue - all within the time span of 24 hours. Yes, I understand that my mind runs wild at 1am, especially after watching 4 episodes of 24 - but hey - one can never be too careful when walking alone in the dark. I would rather nip the whole situation in the bud before having to get Jack Bauer involved (not for a lack of wanting to meet Kiefer Sutherland because - WOW, he's a hottie - but lets not talk about that right now). Weird night!!!

Still no camera

I still can't find my camera - too bad too, it was pretty expensive. I am going to look around down here and then in Placerville this weekend when we travel up there. I really want to post some pictures in the middle of our remodel and then when we are done so we can really see the progress. I know a new coat of paint is going to make the house look brand spanking new. Plus, our new windows (when we actually get those in) are going to make the house look really really good.

On a different note, I have started teaching at both colleges - and I swear, with this new prep - my life is pretty much over for the next 4 months. I have invited my friend Vanessa to observe me this week since she has this whole week off. I hope she comes! She is leery about coming because she thinks that I am going to be nervous when she comes - and I probably will - but I have also known her for 16 years or so and I know that she is going to be supportive even if I do something strange. But, with the way Evergreen's classes are going, I don't think there is going to be too much problem. My classes are so incredibly intelligent - especially the first class of the day. I have a few, what I call, "heavy hitters". These students are very intelligent and know the material in and out. So, in order to interest them I have been bringing in material from other books (which my 'heavy hitters' seemed to really like). Yesterday it took me about 3-4 hours to prepare for. I am expecting that Thursday's class is going to be about the same. I knew a new prep was going to be hard, but not this time consuming. But I guess that's the nature of the game. I think every new prep is going to take this much time. I can't wait until I have prepped for all of the classes I am every going to teach so I can just breeze through it like I do for the public speaking class. But that probably won't happen for years and years. Oh well - you can't win 'em all can you? :)

Our bodies HURT!!!!!!

I will update this as soon as I get my camera in the house. :) I have updated pics of what we accomplished this weekend. Yipeeeee!!!

I have waited to update the post because I can't find my trusty camera. We did have a long weekend last weekend though. I tore down an entire fence and Shawn and I ripped out our backyard save a couple of pine trees (I don't think I have ever sweat so much - even in the internship). We pretty much leveled everything else. As soon as I can locate my camera (gosh I hope I didn't leave it somewhere) I will upload some pics. If I can't find it tomorrow I will take more pics next time we go up there so y'all can see the progress. (So sorry I haven't had time to update - I started teaching my new class this week and it's kicking my butt so far. I sure hope this gets easier, but I kind of think it's going to stay this way until the end of the semester - but one can hope!) I will be sure to give an update on life as by Monday. Tomorrow is going to be VERY busy.

Never ending students and the classes that never end

I am running off to a meeting right now, but I will update later on tonight. :)

Sorry to keep you all waiting. Thanks Natalie for the little nudge to get going on this blog. :)

My classes for this semester were created at the very last moment. This means that my classes did not actually get into the schedule at San Jose State. They are classes that the students found out about right when classes started. This means that I had no roster on my first day - every student who wanted to add my class had to get an add code. This has created such a nightmare for me. I am supposed to have 27 students in each class, but my roster is showing only 15-20. I have handed out more than enough add codes, but students are hesitating to add the class because of financial aid, internet problems or any other number of excuses a college student can come up with. So, I feel like I am nagging them when it comes to adding the class. I gave them deadlines - most listened, but some contacted me to say they couldn't add for one reason or another. I am trying to keep a list of 'individual' circumstance so I don't accidently drop someone, but gosh, with 50-odd students or so, it's hard. In addition to this, the counselors at San Jose State keep sending people to my class because they see in the computer system that my class is not full. However, I have a waiting list a mile long, yet they keep sending people to me. So, every class is interrupted numerous times by students looking to add the class - what a headache.

"The class that never ends" is my second class of the day. I swear these student's either don't get me or they don't like me. They have no sense of humor - every time I make a joke - NOTHING!!! I can make the same joke in my first class of the day and they will be rolling on the floor laughing - but my second class all I get are blank stares. Yikes!!! I hope it gets better.

My class is going to kill me

I have come to the conclusion that I love teaching at the college level. I love it - it's not a job, it's a wonderful opportunity and I am lucky enough to be a part of it. I go to 'work' everyday and feel blessed that I have the job that I do. I walk onto the San Jose State campus, take a deep breath and enjoy everyday that I am there teaching. I love it. I love my students (mostly) and I love the fact that they are learning skills they can use for life. I love the fact that I get to be a part of it.

There is one thing though that I have noticed. Both last semester and this semester my 12 o'clock classes are pretty low in energy. My 10:30 class loves when I goof around and make jokes - by those same jokes go over like lead bricks in my noon class. This happened last semester too. My first class of the day was tired - my second class was non-responsive and my third class was the most fun class ever. Maybe it's me?!? Maybe I use up all of my energy in my first class resulting in a lack of energy for my second class. But I noticed that even the same jokes don't go over the same - frustrating. If my students don't jump on the bandwagon of my goofy personality, they are in for a boring and probably annoying semester. Who knows, maybe it will get better. But if not, I will still have my 10:30 class to have some fun with. :) I hope y'all have a great day!

Interesting eating...

I have gone almost vegetarian (excluding fish) since hearing about my high cholesterol. Tonight I made my own humus - my first attempt ever and it turned out pretty good. My husband said that he would rather eat the humus that I made versus the stuff at the store any day. He will not touch the stuff at the store, but he likes mine. Yippeeee!!! I finally made something he likes. I also made black bean sloppy joes - those came out pretty good too. I retrieved these recipes from a vegetarian blog from the internet. I love it. The website I found the recipes on are all vegan and virtually fat free. I read somewhere on the internet that olive oil can actually help reduce cholesterol, so I modify my recipes to include a bit of olive oil. This also helps with taste. Oil allows the flavors to meld together a bit better and actually carries flavors. I haven't eaten any meat in the last week or two - I miss it, but not terribly. If you think about it, each person has a list of foods that we generally eat. Usually we stick to that list - this could be family familiar foods etc... I was thinking about it and my husband and I eat probably 40-60 things in rotation for meals (including all meals). I just need to shift that list a bit to include vegetarian recipes instead of meat recipes. I think the first few months are going to be challenging (and exciting at the same time), but after that it's probably going to be easy. I love snacking on edemame, carrots and fruit. It makes me feel so much better about what I am putting into my body. Maybe I can undo some of the damage I have done over the last 29 years. Tomorrow we are going to have shrimp kabobs with veggies - mmmm!

The beginning

Tomorrow starts another semester. I am excited yet a bit anxious. My classes have no students yet, but I suspect that they are going to be filled by the start of next week. I already had one student contact me to get an add code, which is good. I need 15 students in order for the class to continue on throughout the semester. This shouldn't be a problem since this is a required course and most people want to get it out of the way during their first semester. I also found out yesterday that my class location has changed. The classes are now scheduled in a building that is close to my office, which is good - but the classrooms do not have air conditioning. This could be a problem because I tend to be really high energy when I am teaching and tomorrow is going to be about 95 degrees during the hottest part of the day. Yikes!!! We will see what happens, but I am sure I will be fine. I have to prepare for tomorrow now, have a fabulous day!

It's over...

I can't believe my summer is over. :( What did I accomplish this summer? Not a whole lot - other than starting a business and exercising a whole lot. I did enjoy being off of work quite a bit though. It happens every year around this time, school starts again. It is exciting also slightly depressing. I will no longer have tons of free time to do whatever I want to do. I will, for the next 5 months be tied down to a group of students that will virtually dictate my every move. But, I must realize that this is what I have wanted for years, and now have the blessed opportunity to have it. As much as I complain about teaching, it is the best job in the world. I do not have a supervisor looking over my shoulder, nor do I have to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day watching the clock. But teaching does have it's downsides. It doesn't pay well unless you work your butt off and pick up 6 classes a semester, which I don't think is in my blood. And you get to do quite a few things that you don't get paid for. I am now off to exercise, only to be followed up with the beginning of the semester staff meeting. I will let you know how that goes when I get home. Wish me luck!

Yesterday....

Despite everything that has been going on with my health, Shawn and I had a near perfect day yesterday. We went to a couple of cheese factories near Marin and Sonoma. In Sonoma we ended up wine tasting, bought some cheese for Shawn and I bought some items for a bbq I am going to tomorrow. In the midst of wine tasting we talked to the gentleman who was serving us the wine and asked him for a good place to have lunch. He ended up recommending the "local" place to go called 'The Depot'. It was the cutest place EVER. We sat in the back of the restaurant outside which had a pool that they converted into a fountain. We had such a nice time - hung out, went wine and cheese tasting and then went and had a great Italian lunch at the cutest restaurant. I will post pics as soon as I go out to my car to get the camera. :) As I said before, yesterday was a near perfect day!

Icckkkk!!!

So I started my new medication last night. But before I actually took the prescription I looked up information on it and the outlook was not pretty. Some people on the internet reported LOTS of problems and side effects of taking the medication, some of which have not gone away even after the patient stopped taking the medication for as long as a year or two. Scary scary stuff. Even though there are side effects I decided to listen to my doctor, friends, family and of course the husband and took it. I can only hope and pray that this medication is not going to do any harm to my body in the short term, and especially in the long term.

It's very upsetting that I even have to go on this medication, but apparently my body isn't working correctly. I have been working out for hours a day for weeks and weeks - and even longer than that, I have been working out for at least 30-45 minutes a day 6-7 days a week for months now with no positive effect on my cholesterol at all. My good cholesterol is down and my bad cholesterol is up - but that's not the worst of it, it's my triglycerides in my blood that they are worried about which is what I am taking medication for. I am not going to tell you what the count was, but it's one of the highest I have ever heard of in a person. This is interesting because I don't have a high fat diet at all. In fact, most of what I have been eating is yogurt, veggies, fruit and of course my downfall, bread and pasta - but not a whole lot of red meat or high fat foods. This is frustrating because the numbers show something completely different. In fact, the woman at the front desk of the Dr.'s office made some kind of comment like, "When I first looked at the results I thought to myself, 'does this girl know what a piece of chicken is'?". Of course the assumption is that I am eating Big Mac's and fries everyday which is totally untrue - but that's what they assume my diet is like. (And as a side note, the woman at the front desk of the Dr.'s office has NO room to talk as she is probably 260 pounds and like 5 foot 2). But, I am sure that her cholesterol is FINE - because it probably doesn't run in her family. However, I am 'assumed' to have a horrible diet because my total cholesterol is a bit high but my triglycerides are literally through the roof. (When I told one of my friends what my level was she didn't believe me because her Dr. was concerned that her level was about 300 and my level was leaps and bounds MUCH higher than hers). Actually, if anyone should have high cholesterol it should be my husband with as much as he eats out at fast food places - but no one assumes his diet is bad because I am sure his cholesterol is fine. I am glad that he has great health, but it makes me feel like I am doing something horribly wrong somewhere. I am going to work out for at least 45 mins. to an hour today and for breakfast I had a bowl of blueberries, 3 egg whites for protein and a plain wheat english muffin. Pretty good I assume - there was no fat in what I ate - and this is a typical breakfast for me. If it's not egg whites it's yogurt and fruit. And then for lunch I am going to have vegetables and rice or something like that and dinner is going to be fish, potatoes and veggies. Ummmm, yeah - nothing in that diet is high in cholesterol! Frustrated frustrated frustrated!!! And with all of the exercise I am doing, some cholesterol in my diet shouldn't be bad for me. I don't understand - I hate pills! I hate them I hate them I hate them!!!! Ugghhhhhh, I need prayer!

Very Bad

I got the results back from the blood test. Bad, very bad!!! My cholesterol is much higher than it should be - my triglycerides are through the roof - and apparently exercising for 1-2 hours a day at least 5-6 days a week has done NOTHING for my good cholesterol but lower it when it should be having the opposite effect. So my fate rests in a bottle of pills - two bottles of pills to be exact. Despite my best efforts, I am doomed to a life of pills for this problem. Apparently this problem is genetic, which is of no comfort to me, a person who loathes taking pills - but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Please keep me in your prayers. Though this is not the worst thing in the world, it's still a hard thing to deal with. I have just received a life sentence of pills. But, thank God for modern medicine; without it I would be a very high risk for a heart attack or stroke and that's not very happy! I have yet to receive word about my thyroid levels - a life sentence of pills I received a number of years ago. They tested to see if I need an increase in dosage - I kind of hope I do since an increased dose will give me more energy. We shall see at 9:50am today. Until then...

Anyone can be used....

I saw this on someone's myspace page and had to repost it!

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Magdalene was, well you know
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer.... AND
Lazarus was dead!

Now no more excuses.
Besides you aren't the message,
you are just the messenger.

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12.

Rough Night

I don't know what it is with me and getting sick, but I think I get sick more than most. Not flu sick, a different kind of sick. I was up all night because I was nauseated. To know me is to know that I will do anything in my power not to ... um ... 'you know'. But last night after fighting it and fighting it, I finally got up this morning and prayed that I would just do it, I finally did. And, the best part, when I finally did do 'it', it was only water. And then there's another problem, a little lower south that goes hand in hand with what I just 'got rid' of. Now it's morning and I feel like crap!!! I barely slept last night, my body temperature was flying up and down all night, and now it's 9am and I feel like a walking zombie. I am obviously dehydrated (note to self, drink some gatorade very slowly even though I am thirsty enough to drink the whole bottle in one swallow), and I woke up having just had a bad dream. I just dreamt that it was my first day at Evergreen Valley College (a college which I have never taught at before) and I missed my first class because I was in the bathroom praying to the porcelain god. Needless to say, it was a bad night. I think I am going to fast for part of the day today to make sure that everything is out of my system that is making me sick and then start on some soft foods later in the day.

The interesting part about this is that it happens to me about once every couple to few months. I get pretty sick, stay up all night trying to fight throwing up, and then spend the whole rest of the day recovering. I don't like it! I told my husband that every time I eat mayo from a restaurant I get sick. And it's almost like clockwork - I get a sandwich, forget to say "hold the mayo" and poof, 6 or 8 hours later I am sicker than a dog. When will I learn???

The nail that broke the husbands back (or foot)

This past weekend the husband went up to P-ville alone to work on the house. His goal was to tear down both decks (front and back) and that's exactly what he did. In the midst of that Shawn managed to put a nail through his foot - well, not completely through, just through enough to go in pretty deep and warrant a tetanus shot. Today we went to the Dr.'s and we both got tetanus shots and I had my blood drawn. About a year ago my Dr. told me that I had high cholesterol but I never did anything about it. Well, today I finally had my blood taken again to see if I need meds for it or not (I hope not). So, after we were both poked and prodded, we are in ok shape. I will get the results in about a week or so to see if my fate resides in a bottle of pills. I, unfortunately, have family history of high cholesterol - so it is almost impossible to lower it by exercising or diet. But we shall see....

Adobo

When I was younger I had a dish called adobo. It was a filipino dish and it was soooo good. I attempted to make it a number of years back and it came out horrible. I tried it again yesterday and I nailed it!!! It is sooo good!!! I rock! :)

New Toys

My husband is really into 'techy' kinds of things. He recently purchased us two Cingular 8125 phones. These new phones are not just new phones - they are computers, personal organizers, cameras and about a million other things. I was excited when we got the phones - they were delivered today - but now that I have it, I'm not sure if I like it. It's not really a phone, it looks like a PDA and every time you want to make a call you need to turn the thing on and use the stylus pen in order to use it. I don't know if I can get used to this since I am really accustomed to simply picking up the phone and making a call. Now I have to take like 3 steps before I can even dial. The point of all of this? He who dies with the most toys still dies - and probably earlier then the rest of the population because some of the toys are incredibly hard to use and understand. Have a fabulous day!!!

Life Experiences Meme

Bold = experiences I've had

1. Bought everyone in the bar (pub) a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said 'I love you' and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played a video game for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 3 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

The Ferret Story

About a year ago or so my husband and I owned a townhouse in South San Jose. It was a decent enough townhouse, but it did have a downside. It was located in a very high crime neighborhood since the lightrail was right there. It seemed as though our neighborhood, or our townhouse in general was targeted. My husband's truck was stolen (we saw the guy drive off with it - that was a traumatic experience - I think I had a little post traumatic stress disorder from that experience), his laptop was stolen out of his car and my identity was stolen from someone stealing our mail. In addition to this we had horrible neighbors for almost the whole time we were there and hated the neighborhood since there was lots of crime and lots of section 8 housing. If it weren't for those things we would have loved our first house together.

We did have something interesting happen to us while we were there. We installed a dog door because we have a doggy named Tess who loved sitting on the patio in the morning and soaking up the sun. One night we hear Vanessa scream for us to come into her room. She saw a ferret running around her room. We assume the ferret came in through the dog door and got curious. Either that or the cute little thing decided it was going to cruise the town looking for some fun. Either way, it ended up in our back bedroom (Vanessa's bedroom otherwise known as our renter at the time). We caught the ferret and called animal services after looking around the neighborhood for the owner. These cute little creatures are outlawed in California, so we had no idea how to care for it or what it ate - otherwise we may have kept it while we were looking for the owner. Plus, our dog could smell that there was another living creature in the house and was trying everything possible to get at it. So, late into the night animal control came by and picked it up from our house. I feel bad for the little guy (or girl) because it was so incredibly friendly and so cute. I said a little prayer for it, shed a tear when animal control left and hoped that it would be given to a ferret rescue. In my world I see the ferret running around someone's house being loved - although I know it's fate must have been different, in my world it is frolicking around with it's new owners.

Ohhhh the memories we have of that townhouse.....fun times!!!

Disappointing

I got an email last night from the Dean of the Communication Dept. at San Jose State offering me a class that I have wanted to teach for a while. I was thinking about the class (Interpersonal Communication) and wanted to take on the challenge even though I already have a new prep for this semester (Argumentation and Debate). I am trying to only do one new prep a semester if possible since it's pretty labor intensive to get a new class off the ground when you have not instructed it before. Getting back to the point - I got another email from the Dean this morning saying, "Oppsss, I wasn't supposed to email that class over to you". I was a bit disappointed but also a bit relieved. I obviously could have handled it, but it may have been a challenge since I am already teaching a class I have never taught before. So the moral of the story is that I am a bit disappointed, but relieved at the same time. (I did say a little prayer about it the Interpersonal class last night and I am confident that I should not be teaching it at San Jose State this semester).

If you remember, say a little prayer for me. I am getting a bit discouraged about moving. I have not heard anything about the application I sent in to the colleges in the area. This translates into me possibly not being able to find a job up there when we move. I know that God's got a plan, but it's hard to accept when I see no light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, I am having a hard time accepting that I may not be contributing to the household finances when we move (and having no kids means that I will be doing nothing when we move). Although, this may mean that I need to focus on applying for festivals so I can get the toe ring business off the ground. No customers yet, but then again I have not publicized at all. :) Prayers are good!!!

One foot to go

I was working out yesterday afternoon in the workout room at the apartment complex and there was another person in there, a male person to be exact. He was working out on the elliptical machine I usually use, so I decided to use the one right next to him. The way the machines are situated is interesting - there are two elliptical machines right next to each other, two bikes next to each other and two treadmills...you guessed it, right next to each other. Each of these machines are approximately 1-2 feet apart - pretty close if you ask me. Now, I have been a member of a gym before and the machines are all pretty close, except the closeness of the machines in the complex workout room are oddly close since they are all located in a pretty small room. Anyway, here's my question - why is it ok to be that incredibly close to someone you don't know when you are working out? I mean seriously, I would NEVER get that close to a guy (other than my husband) for a prolonged period of time - but some how it's ok because we are working out. Which, to tell you the truth, is kind of gross considering you're all sweaty and stuff. But my question is, why is it socially acceptable to be that close to someone when you are working out? Don't people who set up workout rooms aware of social norms? If you're not going to get that close when you are in a social situation, why be that close when you are working out? Ewwww, gross!!!

I must admit...

Sometimes I brush my teeth a bit too hard. Sometimes I brush my teeth 4-6 times a day, sometimes only twice. I recently noticed that I normally do not start brushing my teeth with my front teeth clenched and the toothbrush right at the front of my teeth brushing up and down to get the toothpaste working. However, I'm not quite sure why, but for the last week or so I have begun to do that. I used to simply open up and start brushing the top of my back teeth. I don't know why I changed it, I just did.

I was thinking about this when I woke up this morning - what kind of stuff would I request for my dressing room or trailer if I were an actress? I don't think it would be something weird like skittles with all of the colors separated or anything weird like that. I think I would simply request a toothbrush with toothpaste (probably the 12 hour colgate or something peppermint because spearmint makes me gag) and lots of bottles of water (aquafina or dasani - I absolutely HATE evian). Other than that, my diva ways are pretty minimal. Who knows if I were really in that situation if I would request lots of other stuff too, but I doubt it. I think I would want a comfy place to sit down, and probably a bed to rest my horrible lower back - but anything beyond that I would probably just bring myself. I really think that I would be one of those divas who would want to sit down and talk with the extras, production assistants and those 'seemingly' insignificant people that were on the set. But most of all I would want a toothbrush. In fact, if I were on Survivor my one luxury item would be either a toothbrush or a bible, I can't decide. I know that sounds horrible, but I would probably memorize a bunch of scriptures before I left and then write them in the sand or something and then allow myself to bring a toothbrush. I hate having bad breath and/or fuzzy teeth. You know what I'm talking about, the film on your teeth after eating sugar or simply from not brushing for a whole day. Yikes, I hate it!

My First Purchase

I am heading to San Francisco today to make my first purchase of toe rings. I think this purchase is going to be pretty small since I have no idea if this business idea is going to fly. I called the city of Placerville and they "are not sure this kind of thing will work for them" or work in any of their festivals. I told them to check out all of the Art and Wine Festivals in the Bay Area - they always have a fitted toe ring booth. I will hope for the best I guess! I am off - have a fabulous day!

The Mel Gibson woes

As many of you may have already heard, Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving. Of course, in true Hollywood fashion, drama ensued because of his fame. Apparently there was talk of a cover up (or an attempt at that) due to his fame, but then the whole sorted story was leaked to the press. Of course he is coming under terrible scrutiny because he made the movie "The Passion of The Christ" - and of course that means that in the eyes of America he is related to Christianity and therefore means that he should be infallible. And of course the press is eating it up. Mel Gibson himself has admitted a number of times that he has a drinking problem and has many times in the past. Of course, this does not in any way shape or form justify drinking and driving. However, he must be commended for coming out and admitting that he in fact does have a problem and that he needs help.

I think the thing that bothers me about this situation is that he is coming under great attack because of who he is and what he has recently associated himself with - namely God. All people sin, I don't care who you are, you've sinned and probably continue to do so on a daily basis. What makes this guy so different? I mean of course, other than the spotlight on his life. I think he should be treated just like any other common citizen of American - he needs to own up to his mistake and move on with his life without judgement.

On a bit of a different note, we did little work this weekend at the house. We went up there and picked up some supplies for the trim work in the movie theater and replaced the mail box. Other than that, we did nothing. It was pretty nice to go up there an just relax for once. Our next project is to tear down both decks and replace the back deck with a staircase. Once we do that we will be ready to paint the exterior of the house - or, at the very least, be prepared to prep the house for painting. It's going to be a HUGE project to paint the exterior of the house - a project no doubt that is going to take weeks to complete I'm sure. But, once we are done with the exterior painting, we can start with other rooms on the inside of the house and possibly plant some things in the yard. I ripped out all of the dead plants in the front yard - it looks much better. I am getting a bit antsy - I want the renters out of my house and I want it to be done. By the time we get up there, we would have owned the house for a year but wouldn't have lived in it at all. The boys (Shawn's brother and his friend) are moving out no later than November 4th. Then Shawn will move up there about three weeks before I will to get some stuff done. Hopefully he will be able to get lots of stuff done before I get there - but I always set my expectations a bit too high!