Stargazer

Tests

It's what life is all about these days. The end of the semester brings projects and tests galore. I loved our 3rd year fairy tales today; the students really came through on the costumes. Now if they had just asked me more questions about pronunciation for the narration! Younger Daughter is in Mid-Term H*ll right now; she makes me nervous with her talk of the tests being "dumb and hard." That's usually code speak for not doing well on them. At least, Ashley passed this, she came home for Winter Break sure she had bombed it. (the class at the Alliance Francaise was expensive, but worth it because the DELF B2 is hard!) Now she just has to concentrate on her thesis and avoid getting caught up in cute kitty videos on the internet. ;) Some of you have asked me about Mr. Stargazer and how he's feeling/doing; the answer is bored, but fine. He needs and wants work! One of his jobs here that fell through might be back on though. As for his on-going tests, he'll have a CT in February to see what's going on in there; although it won't show cancer, they'll be able to spot any growth or change from his baseline one in September. And the insurance won't want to approve the extremely expensive PET scan unless there is a reason or suspicion. I don't feel nervous yet, more like resigned to climbing back on that roller coaster. Speaking of medical issues, I did send a letter about this scary insurance bill to our legislators then told our union president about it in an e-mail. Her immediate response: "Margaret, please let me get you released Tuesday to go talk to Senator K." The problem is that I need to be at school for testing and end of the semester *stuff.* I'm kind of worried about my tendency lately to become High Profile. In my district, it's way better(and safer) to keep one's head down and one's mouth shut. Oops.

The Bee

Most of you already know that I don't do very well at inservice trainings. If I have to get up early, I would much rather spend my day with my students, NOT listening to expensive educational speakers who probably haven't been in the classroom for decades. This woman was brought to our district to present propaganda information about Standards Based Grading. Without going into boring detail, I agreed with about 50% of what she said. I don't believe that most students WANT to go to the extra effort/time/preparation to re-take assessments. I do think that all students can learn...something, but ONLY if they want to.  Attendance issues are always glossed over at these presentations. However, when she kept talking about, "Well, here in your district, you've divided the academic grade from what you call the Employability grade" and kept going  ON and ON about it, my fellow teachers and I just looked at each other. What employability grade? Our grading system won't even DO an employability grade! She also provided some false analogies(that we've all heard before) about being able to re-take the tests for the bar exam, your driver's license, the SAT, etc. YES, but you have to pay again; there is a consequence. (teachers are all about consequences, you know, and this system has little or none of those) I was fuming over several of these issues; a colleague wrote a note on my paper, "Margaret has a bee in her bonnet." I hissed at him, "You must not know me that well because I ALWAYS have a bee in my bonnet, but now the bee is OUT!" Thus, when we had a break, I felt compelled to go that long way down to the stage to talk to her, in a nice way of course. And she already had sensed that the central office had fed her a pile of sh*t about where we actually were in the process. I wanted to make clear to her though that we, the employees, have never heard of or even seen this so-called Employability Grade that we "use."  Her other assertion(that I did not address because I'm not sure if she's right) is that many, or even most college professors allow re-takes of assessments. REALLY? It wasn't like that in my day; have things changed that much? Neither one of my daughters has had the opportunity to re-test; maybe that would have helped Younger Daughter's Chemistry grade...The afternoon was better; our presenter was a  classroom choir teacher(with NO PhD but with 33 years of classroom experience) who talked about his system of developing the affective side of students, so they will better want to learn. Gee, something practical!! What did I take away from my sometimes frustrating day? That I am a firebrand when the bee gets out of my bonnet. A polite one naturally, but one who is unable to keep her mouth shut. Does this surprise any of you? ;)

So tired

I think my exhaustion is from only working part of a day last Tuesday and then nothing until the icy commute on Monday. (plus a FULL WEEK) And don't forget the stress of the power outage! However, other *stuff* is making me tired too:

• I got into my "Saved For NYC" trip books during Stormaggedon--thus Divergent is gone, and this amazing Book Club read will not survive the night. The e-books on my tablet are due before my President's Day weekend trip, so I'm a little nervous. I go stir crazy in airports and on planes without anything good to read. With a book (or tablet) in my hand, I'm perfectly calm. Since I'm flying a red eye, maybe I should just sleep? And hope that a sweet, but talkative kid isn't seated next to me, like last time...
• It's terrifying to read about a House Bill in our state which will attempt to put teachers on a  made up state plan and take away any bargaining for medical insurance. If you still believe that educators get great "bennies," think again. You need to pull yourself out from under a rock. Since my husband(cancer patient/survivor, whatever he is) and my two daughters are on my plan, I pay OVER $700 per month out of pocket for medical insurance. It covers 80% of most things until reaching the stop loss, when it goes to 100%. We can handle that financially--but on a minimal plan with a higher stop loss, that will be tricky and scary. And possibly impossible. I keep thinking that surely people will have compassion in their hearts and consider the needs of others. Then I realize that all that they're considering is $$$$, like how to make a huge profit off the backs of the less powerful. I've been working since I was 10 in the berry field and then babysitting; I toiled summers in canning plants to earn money for college, then have been teaching for the past 31 years. From what most people tell me, I'm effective and respected, so why should I have to stress about health insurance? Sorry for the diatribe, but I am SCARED.
• At least Book Club was great tonight; I have the best friends in the world. I enjoy my job and it's been decent this week too. Plus the weather has been warmish (40s and 50s) with no hint of ice or snow. :)

Widow makers

Do you all know what they are? I'm never sure what's "common knowledge" or not; since I've grown up and lived in a state with numerous gigantic trees(logging too!) and a dad who worked in the Forest Service and in a sawmill before going into the Marines, finishing college and becoming a teacher, the term is very familiar to me. The snow and ice storm damaged LOTS of our trees and now a windstorm is coming in. (I can hear it outside--eek!) It's pretty terrifying to see the huge branches that have already come down and the others that are lurking up there, waiting for a push. My Monday 7 minute commute was one of the top 10, maybe even top 5 worst, of my career. I was relieved and even a bit excited to finally get back to school; then I got on the roads...At the first turn out of my cul-de-sac, I fishtailed, but that can be fairly common in here where the roads don't get any attention. But when I flipped it into 4 wheel drive and slowed way down, but still was slipping and sliding everywhere, I realized that I was in for the ride of my life. As in, that normally seven minute drive aged me by 20 years! Today has been much calmer by comparison--a math testing schedule with shortened classes and plenty for the students to do. (and for me to correct after school!) I'm very thankful that it's staying light later, so I had time to go for my run; I even missed the nasty rain and this wind that is apparently hitting about 5 hours later than the METEOROLOGISTS predicted. Yeah, I know, I need to give them a pass on actually predicting the weather accurately. But really? "This ice storm will be nothing like 1996"(the only other ice storm I've ever experienced) and then it turned out to be WAY worse. There are plenty of people going on a full week without power. Some don't have water either because they are on wells that require electricity to run. Just to let you know, I would be checked into a nice hotel right now if I still didn't have power. With a bar.

Relative normality

Yes, it's nice BUT...

This is not OK.(I'm done with you, snow!) Many people are still without power too(since Wednesday) and the infamous meteorologists are calling for high winds next. If it comes, it will be a true trifecta of terror with all the broken branches still hanging off the huge trees. Minor rant: Washingtonians are wimps in the snow indeed. But we don't need some jerk from Los Angeles, California to tell us anything. Or anyone from a cold, flat state which is used to tons of snow and can remove it easily from roads.We have little snow experience, hardly any snow removal equipment and ferocious hills. Most of us have fireplaces/gas inserts, generators and camping equipment since we're outdoorsy types. People have managed pretty well. Fellow Washingtonians, I'm VERY PROUD OF US. To the rest of you criticizing, just shut up and pull your head out of your you-know-where. Back to normality! It included this:

A trip to Bellingham to visit Younger Daughter, take her the glasses she forgot and celebrate her boyfriend's birthday(and hers early). If you are ever in Bham, make sure to go here, a very fun, retro place. Because I had bought the birthday kids REI gift cards, we next went there to look around. Expensive, but cool stuff!!

Since she is into snowboarding now, she tried on snowboarding coats. Who would buy a white coat? I let her know in a relatively tactful way that it would be a very stupid idea. Then Boyfriend was going to buy cheap beer for his birthday get together and I was horrified, "NO cheap beer. Get good stuff, whatever you want and I'll buy it for part of your birthday present!" Thus, he chose this. I was kind of worried about what his mom would think, then I remembered that he just turned 22, NOT 19. :)

My "domestic" daughter made colorful  birthday cupcakes and frosted them with Rainbow chip frosting. It reminded me of when she was little and could have ANY cake she wanted, yet she chose Funfetti cake with that same frosting. And she'll be 22 on February 2nd, my Groundhog Baby! Updates on the animals:

Mari is still crazy...

Naga has grown a lot! She's in a bigger aquarium and has "graduated" to eating two larger dead mice. Because I'm sure you wanted to know.

Alison gave me a certificate for a Western tee-shirt for Christmas, so I picked this one out and she bought it for me. I love new tees! And for the true test of normality, we'll be going back to school tomorrow for the first time since Tuesday. Forgive my language, but my lesson plans are FUBAR. Instead of obsessively worrying about it, I'll have to play it by ear and be flexible. That's so what I'm not good at...

 

Ice, ice baby

Alternate title: In which Margaret takes back anything nice she said about the meteorologists. January 19th about 11:30 a.m.-- Warm up and rain? No mention of a catastrophic Icemaggedon? The big snowstorm has turned into a horrific ice storm, with many(correction: 1 million) people out of power. Including us, as of an hour ago! I'm OK with snow (mostly) but grumpy without electricity. I like my internet and hate being cold! I also fear the crackling and breaking of huge tree limbs that I'm hearing outside. The rain can't come back soon enough for me! Update: We've now been out for nearly 5 hours! I'm burned out on solitaire on my tablet, tired of reading my book and craving physical activity. However, just the trip down to the mailbox nearly killed me with the slush,ice and freezing pellets coming down right now. I even went out back to try to throw our neighbors' tree branch over the fence; I wasn't allowed that "fun" because,like everything else, it's encased in ice and way too heavy for me! Grrrrrr! Update as of Friday at 4:35 p.m. Still out of power and getting weepy over facing another dark night of a 53 degree house. Thankful for my parents having power so that I could charge my cell and tablet(for tonight's solitaire tournament) and also for the camaraderie and kindness of neighbors.It was touching that my husband insisted on heating up milk for me this morning on his propane burner, so that I could make my mocha. And it turned out great, thanks to Via and his efforts! However, I really am So.Done with this! I am no Pioneer Woman! Final update: As of an hour or so ago, the power is back on--after a dinner out at Burger King(heat and hot food) and a great Scrabble game by the lifesaving gas fireplace. (husband won)I'm so very relieved to have my modern conveniences back. First world problem, I know.

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg; you should see how many branches and trees are everywhere on the roads, lawns, power lines, etc. No wonder our power has been out for 33 hours, unheard of in my lifetime!

 

Snomaggedon arrives!

Alternate title: I can no longer make fun of the meteorologists! For years, we've mocked our weather forecasters for ALWAYS getting snow wrong. If they called for a huge storm(like last year maybe?), it moved 500 miles away and hit Montana instead. If they predicted a dusting of white, we got up to several inches or nothing at all. So, imagine my shock when my school district closed preemptively yesterday(for today) because of a rumor of snow! However...

this time the predicted 4-12 inches came; we're probably at about 4.5. Because of all our trees, snow is gorgeous around these parts, especially if one has power, coffee and books to read. :)

When I get stir crazy, I'll go for a walk down to my parents' and have lunch. I'll probably take some beautiful photos on my way too, but you get the idea. Now what's happening weather-wise for the rest of the day, tonight and tomorrow? Will we have school? I wouldn't be surprised if we don't, especially if the temperatures go under freezing tonight. Whatever melts today will become a sheet of ice. *shiver* You already know how I feel about driving in the ice.

And for her, I had to take this picture of my foamy, steamed milk for my delicious mocha this morning. Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce plus Equal Exchange Mind, Body and Soul Coffee plus steamed 2% milk= heaven! Milk must be STEAMED some to make the ideal espresso drink; it makes it taste creamy and not just hot. End of lesson. :)

MLK Jr. and Yay for 3 day weekends...or more?

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Martin Luther King Junior Birthday--do you have the day off from work? I do, because as you all know, I'm a "lazy" schoolteacher. :) Not really, in spite of what some of those non-thinking types believe.(Thank you, Dr. King!)In fact, I chose the quote above because it SO fits the educational world and the quest for easy/glib answers, especially from those who understand NOTHING about the reality of the classroom. However, I'm thinking that I could end up not working much this week. Take a look at this forecast; ouch, could it really be Snomaggedon? I'll believe it when I see it, although they are getting better at predicting snow around here, just not in specific spots. For example, 20 minutes to the south or north of me, there is a range between nearly nothing to 3 inches. So, what have I been doing for fun, besides annoying educating my Facebook friends about the wisdom of Dr. King's quotes? I've been devouring this book, going for walks and even an icy run(BAD IDEA) plus avoiding cleaning out the vile cat box. I've also spent a considerable time on Stumbleupon and wasted even more time justifying why I prefer it to pinterest. *sigh* In case you don't want to go to the links, the key difference is that stumbleupon finds stuff for YOU according to your interests, whereas pinterest pins things that you find yourself. Maybe I am a lazy a**!! Apparently, Older Daughter's Important 3rd recommendation is finally coming through, maybe? We're hoping that he's writing a decent one since Mr. Arrogant Jerk is a month late getting it in, to the universities which already have hundreds of our dollars for the incomplete applications. But grinding my teeth about it leads to madness, thus I'm going to let it go and chalk it up to those darned Life Lessons. Had too many of them lately. 

It must be true that when you've been together a long time, you start dressing alike! Older Daughter claims that our "uniforms" indicate that we're getting ready to start a family bowling league. The way I play, it would be a cold day in You Know Where. :)

Wintry

Yes, this miniscule bit of white stuff is cause for alarm for many Western Washingtonians. We can't drive in it, have huge hills that in many states would be considered mountains and panic easily when we have anything approaching actual winter weather. (ie snow and ice) We probably only have a couple of snowplows instead of a fleet; when we have bad winters, we have to borrow them from our hardier neighbors in Eastern Washington! Thankfully, I'm home to stay after running errands; we are now well stocked with coffee, Cascade Ice, Hef, Cheetos and books. (regular and e-ones) So, I'm curling up near the fire with something to drink and read and if the snow keeps coming down, I'll admire its beauty and just HOPE that my younger daughter isn't out driving in it. You know, the one who has already had three accidents...

Quickie

I'm sitting here watching the tiny Jet Blue plane fly over Montana as it speeds my Older Daughter back to NYC and I'm crying my eyes out. Of course, it doesn't just have to do with the fact that she's gone, facing a stressful(understatement) semester and feeling upset that she has to deal with the Columbia BS crap, it also relates to the politics of school, the issues of my out-of-work, depressed husband and the fact that I'm up an hour later than I should be. But at least Ashley and I got to share a coffee and chat at the airport(our tradition-I never just drop her off). Then there's a lovely three day weekend coming up. REST!! But with a bit of a snowy forecast, which is terrifying. My cold is improving, I have a couple of books to read and no tests to correct until next week. :) In other positive news, my Younger Daughter wants me to come up to Bellingham on the 21st to celebrate her 22nd birthday! (actually February 2nd) I think she chose that weekend because it's her boyfriend's birthday and his family is in Alaska. They've had a rough time since his stepdad died on December 23rd;according to their Caring Bridge site, it was agonizing for the whole family. So, I think she wants The Boyfriend to get some attention too. Finally, my plane tickets are bought for President's Day weekend in NYC. Now, it's really, really time for bed! xoxo