Thursday, July 29

Here was my food from yesterday:
B: Yogurt, strawberries, a little sugar to sweeten the deal
L: Pizza wrap (low-carb ww tortilla, turkey pepperoni, 1 slice provolone, roasted red peppers), marinara for dipping (about 2 tsp), sliced red fresh peppers, a couple of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup frozen (thawed) peaches, and 2 pieces Ghiradelli dark chocolate
S: Bowl of Life cereal (I have got to get some cheese sticks this weekend at the grocery to snack on!)
D: 2 small pieces grilled chicken with Mexican-inspired spices, tomato and avocado salad, a little more chocolate

The chocolate squares keep me from getting something else that is worse for me!

I was also feeling quite restless last night. A friend's wife got a job suddenly in another city, so he's moving. He teaches at my school, in my department, and since school is so close they had to scramble a bit to figure out what to do. I'm sad because he's a friend, and while I appreciate that he is giving up his (nice, cushy) teaching job in a (well-respected, nationally-ranked) charter school, I'm losing a friend and worthwhile colleague. So, I was a little sad. I realize it would be incredibly selfish to say, no! You can't move. So, instead I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that yet again, a friend has moved on.

Brighter things ahead today, though. Desperately needed haircut this afternoon, and a massage after that. I haven't had any problems since my massage a couple of weeks ago. That poor girl had her work cut out for her. And my god, I was sore the next couple of days. But, no more numbness in my left arm! I think she worked most of it out. So today, I might actually get to have one of those "relaxing" massages people always talk about. Mine are usually kind of painful while they work out the kinks.

I read yesterday that massage helps with depression. If it were less expensive, then perhaps I would look into doing it more. My prescription was about $100 a month (no generic) and that's more than a massage every month would cost me. Maybe I should look into that!

Fail.

Whoooooo I've been bad. Way too much alcohol, way too much bad things. I'm doing better as of yesterday. I'm retaining water like crazy, though, because I think I've been way dehydrated. I'm trying to drink down more water. I looked in the mirror and let my belly go and my god, you'd think I was 6 months pregnant. It wasn't like that yesterday! Maybe the snack I just had was salty, I don't know. But I was shocked and just walked away.

Getting back on track isn't so bad. Tomorrow night I might be going out to celebrate with some friends (they're taking the Bar) and Saturday night we have a wedding to go to, but I'm usually pretty good at weddings. Small piece of cake, couple of glasses of wine (if it's even offered, I don't think it will be at this wedding). Clothes still fit and that makes me happy. I was just shocked when I looked in the mirror!

Food today (so far)
B: Yogurt, strawberries, a little sugar, a few sliced almonds (I don't think they're good anymore)
L: Leftover cream cheese chicken (4oz), green beans, sliced tomato and a piece of dark chocolate (all in the bento)
S: Low-carb small tortilla with about a tsp of black beans, 2 oz of leftover taco meat, 1 slice reduced fat cheddar, and a little light sour cream
D: I have planned to have a small filet and zucchini on the grill

So, better. More fruits and veg. I need to get back on track like I was when school was in session. I was really just starting to see results!

You know that I, I will survive.

I finished my classes. Hallelujah they are done. I think I did fine. I know I have an A coming in Theory, and hopefully in History as well. I didn't quite put the effort forth on my take-home final that some people did, but I treated as a test that wasn't a take home and answered the essays like I normally would, not in a crazy over-organized fashion that would make me go insane.

But, whatever happens, happens.

Last night I had a cocktail night with some new friends. And guess what? They weren't work friends. Boo-yah. I'm still trying to uphold my 30 for 30 as best I can. I'm making friends and failing miserably at shopping.

The other day, I realized a favorite shirt has a grease spot on it. As do several other shirts. And still others have holes or are worn to the point of pilling. I can't allow myself to be the teacher who dresses inappropriately or like a homeless person, so I've been trying to build up my wardrobe and shopping sales. It's difficult because I've had to pay for the new flooring in the cat room (currently being installed, pictures later!) and tuition but it has to be done. H had to pay for new French drains. I scored two dresses at Kohl's for $25 each the other day. I ordered an LEC cardigan in yellow (on sale for $20!) to go with the black and white polka dot dress and I'm awaiting a $14 cotton knee-length midnight blue skirt from ATL in the mail which will probably arrive today or tomorrow. And an adorable headband that was cheap, too. I'm amazed I've been able to find dresses this summer, but I'm not complaining!

School is just around the corner. I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by. June was a blur, of course, because of the flooding issue. July because of classes. I've got a lot of stuff together already for the kids (I swear I've printed an entire ream of paper!) and I'm a little excited about it.

After this weekend, I plan to get back on my lower-carb diet. I've really let things slide this month but I was more stressed out than I wanted to admit, so I just shoved food, soda, and alcohol in my face instead. It happens. Tomorrow is always another day. I am enjoying my new lunch box. It's easy to eat healthy with my food in there, but there were so many temptations at lunch on campus and around (there were times I just couldn't stay there, you know?) that I didn't always eat the best of lunches. It's easier when school is in session, because the only soda around is diet, and I don't do artificial anything, and I don't have time to go get anything so I'm kind of stuck with my lunch which is good! I look forward to normalcy.

All right, I have to go eat my peach to finish my breakfast. I love peaches this time of year.

So very, very close

Two more days of classes left and then I can move on with getting prepared for band camp, the school's new website launch and the training I have to go through for that, journalism lesson plans, and so forth. I'm getting the new floors installed in the cat room on Friday. I'm seeing my mom along with my sister and her new boyfriend on Sunday. Things are just moving along.

All I have left to do for classes is 1 essay on a take home final and a final paper for my theory class. I have to do my teaching presentation on American composition from 1950-present, but I'm so not concerned about it. It makes me laugh when I get comments like, "You're obviously comfortable teaching in front of the class." Well, I've been teaching for six years, I would hope so!

Anywho, no real updates. Just waiting for classes to be over so I can get back to my normal routine and have time to work out, eat healthy and all that. I'm loving my new lunch box but having a hard time resisting temptation on campus. But, two more days. Besides, my lunch tomorrow is yummy--leftover pot roast, skillet potatoes and carrots! Those potatoes were awesome.

Off to bed with me. Need to get my beauty (ha) sleep so I can somehow manage sitting in a poorly air conditioned classroom for 6 hours. It just makes me restless.

Validation ROCKS

Today, I had to teach a lesson about first inversion triads and the part writing that goes along with them. I'm not the best part-writer, and I wasn't even aware I was supposed to teach that until yesterday, so I threw some stuff together and literally flew by the seat of my pants through the lesson.

In the class, the students give us the positive feedback, we give ourselves as a reflection tool, and the teacher gets to say whatever he wants. We are supposed to give 30 minute lessons.

1. I hit the 30 minutes on the mark. He asked if I had practiced teaching the lesson and I admitted to not having even going through the material as I had given it, but that I teach 40-45 minute lessons on a daily basis and so I know about how much time that is.

2. The students said that it didn't feel at all like 30 minutes because the lesson was engaging, and that some of them for the first time finally understood part writing.

3. The teacher had nothing to say except that I did so well he didn't feel the need really to cover anything else (he usually takes everyone's lessons to a more graduate level) so he just moved onto another topic. Mine is the first lesson in which that has happened.

So, yeah. Validated that I am not so bad at this teaching thing ;)

If only the food were that good. I really thought the articles I was assigned to read this evening would take up the whole evening; but, here I am...blogging. I really enjoyed one of them so I completely devoured it.

Food for the day:
B: Same as yesterday
S: 5 or 6 yogurt pretzels
L: Leftover chicken and rice, bell peppers with ranch dip (low fat sour cream, dressing mix), strawberries and blueberries, 1 oz chocolate (I think it might actually be less than that but whatevs).
S: Tried to eat peanuts and they were groooooossssssss.
S: 1 medium coke from Sonic during happy hour (if I'm only drinking one a week then I'm doing well!)
D: Freddy's burger, some fries, a little sierra mist. Like I said, thought I'd be busy all evening. My bad.

I did check my weight this morning--same as it was when I left Insanity. Waist was back down to what it was during that time, too, and my hips.

I'm a little concerned by a nagging pain in my left shoulder blade, and I'm concerned that a previous pinched nerve injury is working back in again. I cannot afford to go to the chiropractor, not with the flooring and tuition issues. BLAH I say. BLAH.

Anywho, I'm in a good mood because that lesson just went way better than expected. I'm actually kind of enjoying the classes, too, though it is a long time sitting in those desks!!!

Monday, July 12

Okay, here I am again, posting food!

I got a new lunchbox, a Bento 2.0 from the Laptop Lunches company. I also got a second set of inner containers so I didn't have to wash all the time. It's really cute. You should check out their website! It's easy to know if you have the right amount of fruit or veggies because it's all separated out for you.

B: Honey Bunches of Oats (vanilla) and 2% organic milk
S: 5 yogurt covered pretzels (yummy treat!)
L: Low-carb pizza wrap (small low-carb tortilla, 8 small turkey pepperonis, 1 slice provolone cheese all rolled up), about 1 tbsp marinara for dipping, spinach and tomato salad with red wine vinegar, about 1/2 cup grapes, 1oz dark chocolate.
S: Another pizza wrap (I was kind of hungry when I got home but I've been exhausted all day and feel like I'm fighting something).
D: Soy-honey marinated 5oz chicken breast, brown rice with scallions, sauteed green beans with soy sauce, 6 strawberries. A little iced tea (trying to cut out the caffeine...maybe that's why I feel so tired!)

Not a bad day. It's amazing how much food I fit in that little box! I had peanuts, too, but didn't eat them. I will tomorrow. I have about 4oz of chicken and 1/2 cup brown rice left from dinner and will pair that with veggies and a ranch dip and more strawberries and an ounce of dark chocolate.

I finally found jeans this weekend that fit, totally on a fluke. The dark wash pair are a bit tighter. Something about that ink. I swear I tried on the same pants before with my sister and they were too tight at this size but now I can wear them! And they are just Levi's, go figure.

Classes are going fine. I'm frantically trying to remember part-writing rules because although my assignment for teaching tomorrow was first inversion triads, the teacher seemed to think I should jump ahead about 12 chapters in the book and introduce that. I only have half an hour! I figure I'll give a very basic intro. I even found worksheets online that are legit so I don't have to spend a lot of time scrawling them out, thus torturing my "students." We'll see how it goes.

I should be getting the floor for the cat room delivered on Wednesday, and I am so excited to have everything back in order around here! It's about damn time. And it just keeps raining and raining. It's crazy!

So, there's the update for now. Just trying to get through it all until next Thursday so I can breathe again.

Busy life

Sorry for the lack of posts. No, I haven't been eating as well as I should. I am cutting out alcohol as much as a grad student possibly can ;) I am trying to manage my stress but when I discovered Anchovy had tapeworms and I had to go spend even more money for medication (we're also taking care of his dermatitis, which I needed to do, poor guy) I started to flip out. Especially when Tolstoy spit his pill out so many times it just crumbled into nothing. I had to go spend $22 on ONE PILL for just him.

Extra never got her dose. She's wily.

I'm doing all right with my classes this summer, much better than last. I find them more useful, though teaching about first inversion triads has me stumped. I do that on Monday. Mostly the classes are just all of us teaching lessons and the teacher giving us feedback. Theory has two presentations per person, plus reading articles and reviewing them (and writing the occasional position paper) and we did a textbook review over six books. History is mostly just the presentations--four per person and there are 13 in the class. Wow! Those desks get mighty uncomfortable around 3pm.

So, most evenings I'm either worn out mentally and don't want to cook, H has been really busy at work, too, so one night was just a sandwich and soup.

I've been feeling kind of down this week. I had an online-run-in with some ladies on a board where I post and things got out of hand. I maintain my position on a lot of it, but I felt like either words were being put in my mouth or they were being twisted. Some good did come of it, though; I will be having cocktails with some of the ladies who don't think I'm unfit to teach very soon, and I am very much looking forward to it. I don't remember the number on my list, but making friends outside of work was one of my goals so perhaps I am on my way.

I did find my Mexican-food soul mate in my class. He cracks me up. He and I have to go for Mexican food sometime, even if it's just Bueno.

So yeah, that's really the update. It's raining a lot but the French drains were installed so we have escaped Mother Nature's wrath this time around. My flooring is supposed to come in next week so we can get that room finished (the paint job looks lovely, and I know the baseboards and floor are just going to make it a lovely room). Everything is really green outside which is great for this time of year, but it's a little nuts!

So, I'm off to the library for I don't know how many hours to research the information for the take-home final for history, my lesson topic for theory on Monday--first inversion triads--and my lesson topic for my next Theory teaching assignment--cadences. At least I'm meeting someone so I don't have to go it all alone. My next history teaching topic is Romantic period piano music. I think I'm going to do a compare/contrast between Chopin and Liszt.

I prefer Chopin.