Aahhhh…much better!

So, what’s been up since last we spake?

Went to NJ on Friday for Jake’s memorial service. It was perfect. There were moments of solemnity, comfort, and best of all humor. The last “hymn” was comprised of everyone singing while “Spirit in the Sky” blasted over the sound system. Totally Jake.

Saturday night I got together with Katie, Kim and Tiffany for Girls’ Night with girly movies, a junk food run, and (of course) some knitting. The boys (i.e. Aaron and Adam) watched rock ‘n’ roll DVD’s (Heart & Led Zepplin). It was fun! I saw Bring It On and 27 Dresses for the first time. They were both good, although I think I would have appreciated them both more if I was about five years younger than I am now. It was a great night though, I’m happy we were able to do it!

Then Sunday was band practice #2, which was very productive! Other than that we were lazy. But yesterday, things started to take a different turn! It was all snowy outside (yay!) and after Aaron left for work I was thinking of how relaxing it was watching the snow fall. This made me want to check out the Let’s Yoga! program on my DS. Oh. Man. I LOVE IT! It’s all customizable, so I can pick and choose the types of exercises I want to do based on difficulty level or goal (mind/body/beauty), and I even get to choose my own little Yogini to guide me through the poses. Even her outfits and yoga mat are customizable! And it’s really good about guiding your breathing through graphics and sound. But my favorite part is that it automatically logs your progress, so you can tell how much yoga you’ve been doing. I did half-hour morning sessions yesterday and today and a ten-minute session last night before bed. (Aaron and the cats even got in on the yoga action!)

Then I proceeded to use my DS to practice rhythm and ear training, as well as review some French both days. Self-betterment through my portable gaming system. I am living in the future and I love it.

I also ate healthy lunches and dinners both days. I’ve been practicing piano again. I’m being all productive and it’s super, super rad. At this point I’ve kind of hit a wall though, because my car has been sitting for a few weeks and is reluctant to start. I’m supposed to go get a new tire put on it at Costco and then go grocery shopping, but I’ve had to wait for my jumper box to charge (my car successfully jumped from Aaron’s car, but I don’t want to get stranded anywhere) and I’m losing my momentum in a big way. It’s cold and I kind of just want to go get all snuggly under my blankets in bed and take a nap surrounded by kitties…

We shall see what the rest of the day brings!

You know people, sometimes I really loathe you.

So today I found out that someone I went to high school with was shot and killed by police. This fact left me reeling, since Jake was one of the most laid-back and friendly people in my graduating class. This is someone I have gone to school with since I was five years old (and since our class only had 141 people in it, you can probably gather the degree of closeness we all shared after thirteen years together). Now, it’s no secret that Metuchen has its drug problems. And I was always reasonably sure in high school that Jake dallied in these practices, although I would not have thought him to be into anything hardcore (such as the heroin or coke that pervade so many of our tragedies in M-town). I’d also like to point out that this kid never even got in a fistfight at school all the years I knew him.

Granted, it’s been almost six years since we graduated. Probably about four or five since I last saw/talked to Jake. A lot could have happened in that time. According to local news reports, Jake got involved in a car chase, rammed his Jeep into a police cruiser repeatedly, and then brandished a knife at the two officers before being shot several times.

This does not make sense to me. That is not the behavior of the Jake Olson I know.

Another member of our graduating class was the E.M.T. who arrived at the scene and had to attempt to save Jake’s life.

But you know what makes less sense to me? The fact that the news article is attached to an endless stream of comments by ignorant troglodytes who have nothing better to do than make fucking cops-eat-donut jokes and say things like, “GOOD JOB OFFICERS! ANOTHER PIECE OF DIRT BITES THE DUST! I WOULDVE PUT ONE BETWEEN HIS EYES”

What the fuck.

First of all, what the hell sort of self-respecting news source has an open comment forum on the same goddamn page as a story like this? Family members and friends looking for more information on these tragic events get led to this site and can’t avoid seeing this rally of unrestrained cruelty. Seriously, the first two comments are right there: you don’t even have to scroll down to see them. You finish reading the article, and there they are. This couldn’t be hidden behind a link, reading optional?

Furthermore, what in God’s name is wrong with you people? You honestly have absolutely nothing better to do with your life than sit around and spew venomous insults at someone who died violently?! Get the fuck out of your mom’s basement, stop playing Madden ‘97 and go talk to some other human beings. Oh, right, I realize now that this is probably impossible for you, since most people’s intelligence quotients are high enough that they don’t want to deal with an ignoramus such as yourself. My mistake.

Now I do understand that for people outside of the personal frame of reference, this may seem like some two-bit criminal with a death-wish lashed out at several civil servicemen and got what he deserved. Even if that is the case (and information such as autopsy results, etc. are still pending), that criminal was a human being. With a mother, father, older sister, and friends. Those people are still alive. They’ve committed no wrongs against you. Consider the magnitude of their trauma and their grief before you go ranting and raving about how putting a boot in yer ass is the American way.

Finally, I don’t appreciate being stigmatized as a “bleeding heart liberal” for asking for a little common courtesy for someone I cared about while he was alive. Even though the few forum comments I was unfortunate enough to read were not directed at me specifically (since I don’t post on that forum), I take offense nonetheless. Some people are really disgusting.

::endrant::

Crazy piano!!!

Check this guy out! Fun cartoon medley and CRAZY fast piano-playing!

Start from about 0:58, unless you would like to watch a paunchy, middle-aged white guy recite slam poetry. In which case you just go right ahead from 0:00.

You really knock me out…

So, let’s see. A lot has been happening this week, at least relative to my life since October. On Thursday, I got together with Katie for my first foray into a yarn store and knitting. It was fun, and damn is knitting addicting!! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this fact, since Katie and Mandy are knitting constantly, but I really can’t believe how often I get the urge to complete “just one more row.” I’m currently working on a red ribbed scarf, I’ll be sure to post the finished product. Then on Friday I had my first piano lesson in like nine months, which was pretty good! Since it’s been so long we kind of have to start from scratch, but it’s nice to be back in the saddle again. I love learning new things!!

That night we went over to Joe’s for pizza, white Russians, and The Big Lebowski, which was definitely fun. Scott from AVEC wound up coming over later in the evening, too, which was a nice surprise! We like that guy, and haven’t gotten to hang out with him in a long time. On Saturday Zach came over and we had our first “real” band practice. It went really well!! We played three songs, and had some nice collaborative moments. I’m really excited, I have high hopes that this band will be a really fun endeavor and get to play some rad shows in the greater Baltimore region.

 

Finally, I feel I should do the obligatory end-of-the-year reflections, not so much because I have to, but because I feel like it’s especially pertinent this year when so many things are in flux.

2008, a Recap:

In January I was working at the Maryland Science Center and living at Dolly’s house. In February I moved into my favorite apartment ever with my favorite sweetheart ever! March came along, and KG went on tour, so I had the apartment all to myself (+3 kitties) for a few weeks. I learned that sharing a thermostat can be difficult and REALLY cold. April brought a little more sunshine, and I grew closer to my co-workers by bonding over shared cancelled cake slices, creepy school mascots, beautiful vistas, vans breaking down (yay Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse!), and guys doing inappropriate things in parking lots. ::ahem:: I had my first experience with a high school friend dying (likely not the last) and learned that I can cope on my own. May ushered in the sweet, sweet sunshine and I took many personal field trips around the Inner Harbor/Federal Hill after work with my iPod. The month ended on a bittersweet note as I left the Science Center’s employ and looked ahead to my first teaching assignment. In June and July I was lazy a lot of the time and went on a lot of bike rides. We got really close to a deer at Patapsco State Park! Then came August with all of its dizzying mad-dashery: for three weeks I was in class for 6-8 hours a day for the Baltimore County/Towson University Teaching Residency program. I turned 23. I got engaged! I had seared Caesar salad, the most savory salad known to man! I went to New Teacher Orientation, then spent the better part of two weeks getting my classroom/mind ready for the students’ arrival. School started, and I got my feet wet with my first First Day of School ever, my first Back to School Night, and my first official week of teaching survived! September was more of the same, lots and lots of adventures in teaching. 110 students, 3 good informal observation reviews, 2 fist-fights in my classroom, 4 labs, countless copies made, and approximately 608 oz. of water consumed. October started out strong, I got a “Satisfactory” formal observation review (which is the highest rating you can get), an AWESOME student-made poster on photosynthesis, and then started passing out randomly. November was a string of doctors’ visits and days spent in bed, waiting to feel better. There was some brightness at Thanksgiving with the Smiths (and lots of other nice folks) and post-Thanksgiving with the Grecos (and Cottons)! I resigned from Baltimore County Public Schools. I said goodbye to my classroom. In December I did start to feel better. I got all my Christmas shopping done before Christmas Eve! I spent my first Christmas with Aaron’s side of the family, and he spent his first Christmas with mine. I went to Nashville for the first time ever to help Mandy move. (I helped with my charisma, I guess?) I played a LOT of Nintendo DS! I wore heels for the first time in a long time. I rang in the New Year in two time zones. I was really thankful for everything.

2009, a Glance Ahead:

I’d like this year to be a fresh start. I’m still struggling a little bit to wrench myself out of the mire that “mystery illness” made of my life and my ego. I want to get back in contact with friends I’ve been avoiding. I want to get a job I enjoy, and start small so I don’t get swept under and carried away like I did this past year. I want to reorganize my life and my apartment. I want this band to play some shows. I want to have fun, and see the fruits of my labor, all my hard work paying off.

I want to forgive myself for things I’ve done, but more importantly for things I’ve left undone.

I want to remember to take baby steps and not be too scared or too proud to ask for help when I need it.

Mostly I want what I think most people pretty much want: I want 2009 to be a happy and healthy year for me and the people I love.

Yay, New Years!

Feel the power/Short then Long!

So, the holidays have been survived and I have returned (probably with a few extra pounds in mah belly) from all our travels. It’s been a lot of fun, but it’s really good to be home! And the kitties certainly appreciate it.

Hey, speaking of things to appreciate (ahem::rough transition::ahem), here’s a fun little SNES commercial from the early 90’s! Can anyone name the actor who is “getting serious” with this Super Nintendo? (A movie he was in will do, I suppose.)

And hey, speaking of the early 90’s,  I figured out how to program my Kurzweil K2000 to be two monosynths in one keyboard!!! Rock, rock on!

And finally, I am a little bummed that I missed Jason Webley at Metro Gallery last night. It was probably super-awesome, and I didn’t even know it was happening. I will just have to enjoy this video, instead. You should enjoy it too. Do you want to throw the discus far? Do you want to be a hockey star? DO YOU?! I do.

The guy on the green sleeping bag is the best dancer. That keyboard line is a ripper. (The song is not actually by Jason Webley, it’s by Big Little Dipper Dipper. But still.)

 

For now that is all. Still trying to decompress after the trips and get my head on straight as I start to seek employment. ::gulp!::

Better post later!

 

 

I just love how delighted Stevie Wonder is with this talk box!

And I said, “What about breakfast…”

Always blogging on an empty stomach. If anyone who wasn’t my friend ever read this blog, they’d probably think I weighed 400 pounds, the way I’m always talking about food. But once, again, I’m hungry. So I’ll make this short.

Last night was the KG/MC Lars/MC Frontalot show at the Ottobar. I gave my experimental cookies to old and new friends and they were a hit. (Some people even ate TWO!) KG played a really fun set, which was just the tiniest bit bitter-sweet since it’s the last time they’ll play in the area for a few months. Now I’m faced with a conundrum: do I start going to other local shows, knowing it probably won’t be as good or fun, or do I finish one of my ten half-finished hobbies instead? Or both? To be determined.

However, it was a night of unpleasant odors. There was a kid near me all through the KG set that smelled HORRIBLE. Like BO mixed with the crotch of a dead person. I am not exaggerating. AT ALL. Anyway, this Odiferous Ollie kept creeping closer and closer to me throughout the whole dance party, to the point where I couldn’t see Aaron and could hardly breathe (luckily that was pretty much the last song). I didn’t want to move because if I did I could no longer see Mandy-Pants. But I lived to tell the tale, that’s what matters.

Then it was a Mario Karty (yeah that’s right, I mashed up Kart and Party!) with Aaron and Marty! Oh the fun times. Our nerdiness even got a shoutout from some white rappers. I accidentally walked into the men’s room (AWKWARD) and then had my second dose of unpleasant odor happenings: someone in the bathroom had food poisoning or a tapeworm* or something. As soon as I entered the adjacent stall, I was wishing I had a WWI-issue gas mask. It was, in a word, brutal. And to make matters worse, I kept thinking I smelled whiffs of “Eau du Toilette” (a.k.a. poo) all evening, so I’m pretty sure it followed me out. UGH.

But I did get the chance to have some beers with Mandy and Greg, eat some rock-hard frozen chocolate bars, eat Chipotle, and laugh at the insane length of the white rappers’ sets and the large-and-in-charge female grinding the stair bannister and having fake orgasms. (Because at that point, really what could we do but laugh?) All in all, I call it an evening well-spent.

I’ve decided to make this the ultimate in lazy day-ery since the weather is crummy and I “partied like a rockstar” last night. This means almost everything I do today will be done from bed.** Yay! Embrace the inner slug!

 

*Tapeworms do not actually give you diarrhea.
**Obviously, if I decide to shower I will have to go to the bathroom for that. 

Hand me my nosering! Show me the mosh pit!

So the last few posts have been all sad-like. In an attempt to rectify this, I am posting today in a jubilant mood (just for a change of pace). Yesterday, even though I didn’t start my day until 2.30 p.m. – my circadian rhythms are all off, sleeping ’til noon and awake ’til 3 a.m. – I was highly productive, doing some cleaning around the apartment and switching out t-shirts and capris for sweaters and long-sleeved shirts in my drawers. Yes, I know it’s a little delayed. Don’t judge me! Anyway, I even went so far as to reorganize my closet. It was amazing; in my travels I found two ancient retainers, a miniature Rubix cube, and the credit card I thought was lost (luckily I hadn’t cancelled it)!

Then I prepared some snacks in the Greco family Christmas-decorating-tradition, and Mandy came over to help me hang lights up in the windows and eat delicious goodies. We had a really fun visit and got to listen to some new super-secret songs. (Okay, maybe not really super-secret but still super-fun!!) Then Aaron and I played Mario Kart in bed, which we hadn’t done for a long time so that was rad, but it was SUPER cold in the apartment!!

Today I managed to get up around 11.30 and hung out with Aaron for a while, Interneting and eating sumptuous tomato-basil bisque and baguette. Then Lily came over, and we started a baking adventure!! We went to the Giant to get cookie-making supplies, and wound up with some extra goodies. I ate my first pomegranate seeds ever, and boy let me tell you: they are my new favorite snack in the world. Those thangs are out of this world!! Lily made brownies and I made sugar cookies while she read me some soup recipes from around the globe. The cookie batter looked like a grizzly mess (after diligently sifting the flour and following the recipe, I forgot to add the 2/3 cup of vegetable oil so it went out-of-sequence), and I had to pat each little dough-ball with a paper towel before putting it on the baking sheet.

I was very pessimistic about the outcome.

Lily kept an open mind and convinced me not to throw out the last of the batter after filling two baking sheets. The minutes passed. The timer went off. We opened the oven door; I fully anticipated oozing, slimy carnage. The moment of truth:

The cookies looked surprisingly, completely normal! The taste test revealed that they were slightly lemon-y, but other than that were precisely as expected! They do, however, leave the slightest sheen on your hand if you hold them too long. Not so bad, I’ll just have to serve them on cocktail napkins. (O:

Then we hung the last of the Christmas lights and called it an evening. I ate some clam chowder for dinner, chatted with several friends I had been missing on iChat, practiced piano, and watched two episodes of Gossip Girl until Aaron came home. Then I was reminded that tomorrow is not only his day off, but a fun show at the Ottobar!! Oh man! So we’re looking at three radical days in a row right here.

That’s my kind of week!
Cheers. (O:

 

p.s. Thanks to Mandy, I now know that Spaces is the most convenient computer program ever. My eyes are opened. My digital world is forever changed. (For the better, of course!)

On ruts, jobs, and blogs…

I’m totally in a rut.
Pretty sure it’s the result of being stuck in the house all the time, but it’s aggravating just the same. There’s a hundred things I could do, but I find myself succumbing to the lifestyle of a slug. Actually, that might be an insult to slugs. I mean at least they roam around putting goo on things and having hermaphroditic sex and eating people’s plants. I just waste time on the Internet or tinkering around on my various keyboards (without actually writing or recording anything, mind you) and yesterday I read Interview With The Vampire almost in its entirety. I feel like I should be doing things, finishing half-done projects and tying up loose ends and calling up friends I haven’t talked to in forever.

But instead I just sit.
It’s an ugly rutting rut.

So I’m sorry that I haven’t been blogging much. (I’ve thought about it almost everyday, but then I would rather take a nap or look at grainy YouTube footage of keyboards I want.)  I’m still alive. Resigned from Baltimore County Public Schools so I can concentrate on getting healthy and figuring out where I want to go with my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that I jumped into career-dom a little too fast; like so many things, it seemed like what I wanted at the time, and it looked really great on paper. Don’t get me wrong: I love my students, and I loved teaching. But I chose a really difficult school to teach at from an administrative standpoint (basically, everyone is in over their heads and freaking out half the time), and I had no way of knowing just how terribly overwhelming that would be until I became mired in it.

Public schools right now: not where I really want to be. The government is in your classroom all the time and everyone (including the students) is so focused on the almighty State Testing that it’s tough to actually teach the content. So I will likely shy away from that and explore either private or online schools. The pay-cut will be substantial, but ultimately it’s a better situation for now. I hope things will change in the future, but at this moment that’s what I feel is right for me to do.

Additionally, I can’t get better physically while stuck in the limbo of “Will I or Won’t I Go Back.” That question is full of immense pressure and disappointment. With the endless cacophony of pros and cons swirling around in my head, it’s nearly impossible to concentrate on the present and the most important task in front of me right now, which is simply Get Better. My department chair has been a little less than understanding/sympathetic about this. I’m trying to bear in mind that she’s overwhelmed and that this makes her life difficult, but it’s hard not to get mad when she starts throwing out phrases such as “professional responsibility.”

Would you like to see unprofessional, lady? Would you like a taste of something irresponsible?! Because I am sick and cranky and I have had just about enough of giving all of myself away for you so you can take your “professional responsibility” and shove it.

(Figured I’d get that out here, so it won’t come out elsewhere. (O; )

So anyway, I’ve got some more doctor’s visits scheduled and hopefully pretty soon I can start leaving the house by myself and walking around and maybe even (dare I say it!) driving places!! But I’m trying not to get my hopes up.

Apologies for the whiny nature of this post. I’m a grump today.
xoxo

On ruts, jobs, and blogs…

I’m totally in a rut.
Pretty sure it’s the result of being stuck in the house all the time, but it’s aggravating just the same. There’s a hundred things I could do, but I find myself succumbing to the lifestyle of a slug. Actually, that might be an insult to slugs. I mean at least they roam around putting goo on things and having hermaphroditic sex and eating people’s plants. I just waste time on the Internet or tinkering around on my various keyboards (without actually writing or recording anything, mind you) and yesterday I read Interview With The Vampire almost in its entirety. I feel like I should be doing things, finishing half-done projects and tying up loose ends and calling up friends I haven’t talked to in forever.

But instead I just sit.
It’s an ugly rutting rut.

So I’m sorry that I haven’t been blogging much. (I’ve thought about it almost everyday, but then I would rather take a nap or look at grainy YouTube footage of keyboards I want.)  I’m still alive. Resigned from Baltimore County Public Schools so I can concentrate on getting healthy and figuring out where I want to go with my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that I jumped into career-dom a little too fast; like so many things, it seemed like what I wanted at the time, and it looked really great on paper. Don’t get me wrong: I love my students, and I loved teaching. But I chose a really difficult school to teach at from an administrative standpoint (basically, everyone is in over their heads and freaking out half the time), and I had no way of knowing just how terribly overwhelming that would be until I became mired in it.

Public schools right now: not where I really want to be. The government is in your classroom all the time and everyone (including the students) is so focused on the almighty State Testing that it’s tough to actually teach the content. So I will likely shy away from that and explore either private or online schools. The pay-cut will be substantial, but ultimately it’s a better situation for now. I hope things will change in the future, but at this moment that’s what I feel is right for me to do.

Additionally, I can’t get better physically while stuck in the limbo of “Will I or Won’t I Go Back.” That question is full of immense pressure and disappointment. With the endless cacophony of pros and cons swirling around in my head, it’s nearly impossible to concentrate on the present and the most important task in front of me right now, which is simply Get Better. My department chair has been a little less than understanding/sympathetic about this. I’m trying to bear in mind that she’s overwhelmed and that this makes her life difficult, but it’s hard not to get mad when she starts throwing out phrases such as “professional responsibility.”

Would you like to see unprofessional, lady? Would you like a taste of something irresponsible?! Because I am sick and cranky and I have had just about enough of giving all of myself away for you so you can take your “professional responsibility” and shove it.

(Figured I’d get that out here, so it won’t come out elsewhere. (O; )

So anyway, I’ve got some more doctor’s visits scheduled and hopefully pretty soon I can start leaving the house by myself and walking around and maybe even (dare I say it!) driving places!! But I’m trying not to get my hopes up.

Apologies for the whiny nature of this post. I’m a grump today.
xoxo