today, a monitor said my second favorite phrase to me--"two hour delay". apparently, there's a chance that the roads will be icy tomorrow morning, so we may have a two hour delay. it just rolls off your tongue. my favorite phrase, of course, is "snow day". snow day. brrr...i just get chills thinking about it.

* * *

honeyg bought our christmas tree at wal-mart, by himself. he also bought the tree stand, tree skirt, lights, ornaments and an angel tree topper that lights up--by himself. i don't know why, but i was a bit upset by this. maybe i just wanted a christmas full of nostalgia-inducing milestones that i could look back on and say, "remember that time we trudged through the snowy woods and chopped down our very first tree for rh's very first christmas?" cue the snowflakes...and the vision of the three of us dressed in our christmas best, merrily dragging our tree behind us on a radio flyer (of course). perhaps i wanted to be a bit martha stewart-ish and make all of our ornaments with the obligatory egg cartons and vegetable dyes that i created using home grown beets and spring water that i had collected from the top of the shawanagunk mountains. that's definitely a good thing. or maybe i'm just a control freak that goes nuts when the garlands doesn't lie just so on the branches ("i want the garland to lie at a 45 degree angle, dammit! that's lying at a 65 degree angle!"). i have to confess that it could be a combination of all three.

* * *

three things grossed me out over the past two days:
1. defrosting chicken breasts--i don't know why, but i hate defrosting meat, be it chicken or beef. the way the edge of the chicken/steak cooks while the middle is still frozen is so unappetizing. i'd rather go to the grocery store (like i did today) and pick up ready-to-cook meat than stick the frozen meat in the microwave to defrost. i have my foibles. so sue me.
2. the sty in my eye. just the thought of having a pimple-like thing (no matter how miniscule) is unpleasant.
3. how my overzealous environmental activist of a senior described how asian turtles are killed in his college essay: "the heart, still beating, is ripped from the pulsating flesh (pp)". it's like i'm watching that indiana jones movie...temple of doom, is it? i don't remember.

* * *

i am definitely doing my icy road dance tonight...complete with the running man on my hardwood floors...and if i so dare, i may throw in a little cabbage patch (with some spirit fingers for the oomph factor).

happy birthday, yuffie! live, love, laugh...=) 

and it's back to 50 degrees and rain...

* * *

orlando was fun. beautiful weather, sleeping in, eating out, shopping...who could ask for anything more?

for posterity's sake, let me list what we did in our week in orlando:
-gator photo-huntin' on an airboat at night (we saw four!)
-outlet shopping
-universal studios
-saw "the incredibles"
-saw a cirque du soleil performance--"la nouba"
-ate at sunset sam's fish camp (eh), ming court cafe, wolfgang puck's cafe (pretty good), and lots o' hot dogs
-went to celebration (quaint town)
-spa and salon at the ritz carlton (where they leave you a mint on the front seat after you get valet parking--now that's classy)
-golf--and i'm still sore...but i did make par, so i'm happy
-a bond concert at the house of blues in downtown disney--pretty cool

what i didn't do:
-read the canterbury tales
-grade any shakespeare papers
-check e-mail
-blog

oh well...time to return to the real world...thank you, g family, for making this all possible. =P

* * *

it was really strange being away from rh for an entire week. when we picked her up, she looked like she grew so much! her fine motor skills developed a lot, she's verbalizing more and yesterday, she actually stood up in her crib by herself (holding on the railing, of course)! that was a shock this morning, when i heard her crying and saw her standing in her crib with the railing lowered. now i can see how she could just fall out of her crib...she be one tall g baby!

* * *

sometimes going on vacation just makes you want to stop working. sigh. but i guess that's why they're so enjoyable. a respite from responsibility...

* * *

it's lunchtime!

this makes me sad.

* * *

from 50 to 85 degrees in less than 12 hours. how nice is that?

* * *

i can't sleep...too many thoughts of rh dancing through my head...i'll miss you...sigh...this is going to be the strangest stressful/destressing vacation that i've ever had...

* * *

reading: the canterbury tales (yes, even during my vacation--i'm a geek!)
listening to: nothing...realizing that i don't have to worry about rh waking up and crying is so surreal...

i have to confess...i took rh to a mall santa today. 

what can i say? honeyg and i were walking around the danbury mall, when i suddenly spied the garish tinsel covering the faux snow on top of the faux santa's faux candy cane house.

that's when it hit me. rh just HAD to get her picture with santa, come hell or high water, tears or poop attacks. i remember my picture with santa with yuffie, when were both around 8 or 9. we were gamely grinning at the camera, festive in our reindeer sweaters while santa had this look that said, "i desperately need an eggnog, preferably with a lot of alcohol in it."

it really wasn't that bad. we watched the line slowly inch forward, as various children, in colorful sweats or holidayish outfits (one actually came with a pink beret that just looked oh so adorable), made their way to negotiate their wish list with santa. as we got closer and closer to him, rh got sleepier and sleepier. finally, when we were the next to take our picture, rh dozed off. sigh. i have to say though, it's a lot better than if she suddenly realized that she had four teeth coming in, mommy and daddy had left her in the lap of a bearded man with a crazy red outfit, AND she just had to have her feeding at that very moment. oh, the times we could have had. instead, she continued to sleep in santa's arms, protesting weakly (note the clenched fist) in the beginning, but then succumbing to her journey to the land of nod.

santa was very clever, i have to say, pretending to doze off, just like rh. it makes for a very sweet picture, one that honeyg and i will look at in the future, grin sheepishly and shrug, knowing, despite the corniness of it all, it's another memory that we can file away in our mental scrapbook.

* * *

btw, does anyone know if tom brady, from the new england patriots, lives in connecticut? if he does, honeyg thinks that we saw him in baby gap. just checking...

it's friday!

What is your favorite...

1. ...classic (old) movie? an american in paris...i'm a sucker for the singing and dance sequences! =P
2. ...comedy movie? i know that this isn't really a comedy, given the subject matter, but i laughed like crazy during the first half of life is beautiful.
3. ...action movie? the matrix was pretty mind-boggling...i have to admit, it inspired me to buy a long, black coat.
4. ...drama movie? schindler's list was the first movie that ever made me weep (in the theater!)
5. ...movie of all time? i have to say that the shawshank redemption impacted me in a way that no other movies could even come close to...

happy 7 months, rh! you're really too goofy, you know that? i just have to laugh sometimes... 

the keyboard drawer of our computer desk has broken off. it is officially time to get a new work desk.

* * *

i need to get a haircut...i'm tempted to go to a trendy salon in florida and tell them to go for it. but how trendy could salons be in orlando?

anyways, i'm still intrigued by the concept of having blue black hair (like wonder woman). should i go for it? it could work, but i'm a little worried that i'll just look like a blue-haired grandma...if i do it, it'll have to be after the holidays...don't want to freak out the in-laws (or my parents).

* * *

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL VACATION!!!

* * *

i graded three sets of essays so far...two more to go. i'm tempted to bring them to florida. do i dare? will i actually grade? will i leave one behind on the beach by accident and end up stammering to my ap student that i lost their paper while soaking in the sun? nah...maybe i'll just bring a copy of canterbury tales if i feel like working... or maybe i'll just bring my bathing suit and leave all my work stuff at home. i'm leaning toward the latter option...

* * *

any suggestions for sightseeing in orlando that doesn't involve a pair of mouse ears?

why do i stay up late even though i'm totally exhausted?

* * *

guess what we had for dinner tonight?

well, just as a comparision, i'll tell you what i ordered for dinner last night at flames...

lobster bisque (quite good)
filet mignon
creamed spinach
fries
two cokes

24 hours later, honeyg and i are feasting on spam and rice.

yummy. spam and rice. the spam was sliced up, dipped in egg and fried. the rice was the perfect consistency--not too wet, not too dry. delicious.

thank you.

* * *

the painting is done. our great room (i still kind of giggle when i say that) is now a squashy, taxi cab kind of yellow and our front foyer wall is tuscan red. we were sitting in our chairs looking at the two walls and realized that it looked like mustard and ketchup. no wonder honeyg thought of fast food when he was looking at the paint job...

* * *

decorating your home is a bit nervewracking, especially when you add bright colors. it could turn out like something on "divine design", or it could look like macaws exploded against the walls. da stress! da stress!

* * *

ok, now i'll go to sleep...

STEAK!

STEAK!

STEAK!

woo hoo!

* * *

apparently, it's being proven that the secretary is harassing me. union reps rock! we'll see how things turn out...

* * *

vengeful acts that i dreamed up last night:

subscribing to hundreds and hundreds of magazines in her name

signing her school e-mail address up to hundreds and hundreds of newsletter sites

calling her "helmet head"

quitting in a dramatic fashion in front of the principal and blaming it on her (with swooping arm motions, pointing fingers, and a crescendo of an accusation--all at once! man, i watch way too much "law and order".)

prank calling her

ordering 50 pizzas to her home (honeyg's idea, but i would feel bad for the delivery person)

kicking her (mentally, of course)

sigh...imagining revenge. for some reason, it's just not that satisfying. maybe it's because i'm just so immature...=P

at least the wheels are turning in my favor...

* * *

i'm really looking forward to christmas. we're going to try to have a real tree. apparently, there are these tree farms in our area, where you can go rent a hatchet and chop down your own tree. isn't that hilarious? us city folk trudging into the woods to chop down a tree. i don't think i've ever even held an axe. should be interesting...

talk about a roller coaster of a day...

i got in trouble AGAIN because of that stupid secretary who keeps on filing complaints against me. good thing i brought my union rep with me to meet with my assistant principal...something tells me that i'll be filing a grievance before long...

a parent called to complain about their son's grade. you know, if your son doesn't do a major project and then gives me half of another project, he's definitely not going to pass. sigh. and now i have another parent conference later on this week. report card time is just such a pain...

rh's teacher (aka supermom) knit a beautiful pink and white hooded jacket for her. so pretty...

and....(drum roll, please...) wal and jae JUST GOT ENGAGED TODAY!!! woo hoo! congratulations, my dears! i am totally looking forward to your wedding!

* * *

six more days and then i'm outta here...

i am SO looking forward to florida. the sun, the beach, the SLEEP. sigh...who could ask for anything more?

* * *

the painting is in progress. one and a half walls down...two and a half to go!

i have to say, nothing wakes you up like getting pulled over by a cop as you're driving home from a night out with friends and then getting away with just a warning...

in my defense, i was only going 70 in a 55 mph zone. that's not bad. i was going 62 most of the time anyway...stupid cops waiting at the bottom of stupid hills...

* * *

when i hang out with people who speak with an accent, i have a tendency to pick it up. when i worked at an international camp during the summer, i hung out with this scottish guy so i eventually started to sound like a slightly asian version of the lucky charms leprechuan. i could also quote braveheart pretty effectively: "i'll crrrush you like a worrrum..." when i went to yonsei and met some people from baylor, i would add a "y'all" here and there. the only word i picked up from london though was "weekend". for some reason, when i went on a weekend retreat with my church, i loved how people would say that word. not WEEKend, like americans do, but wee-KEND. so much fun. i sometimes think of my few wolof phrases that i learned in senegal, but i don't know when i'll use them again...

* * *

only one more day until the wee-KEND!!! yay!

* * *

when i hear how people discuss how all asians look alike, i have to say, "do we still have to hear about ridiculous stereotypes like that?" i am just so sick of perpetual ignorance...

* * *

is the labor over? dear god, i hope so...many prayers for sl and al...and the little lee-to-be...

tomorrow i have the day off...and what am i going to do? i'm going to wait for that washing machine repairman to come "between 12 and 6" to switch the stupid doors so honeyg can do the laundry in peace. why do repair people give you a six hour time frame? it's like me saying to my principal, "i'll be at work sometime between monday and friday of next week." I WISH!

* * *

rh's daycare teacher knocked my socks off today (figuratively, of course). when i mentioned that i taught macbeth to my kids, she suddenly began to recite macbeth's "tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy off the top of her head. ten years, three kids and who knows what else she did after high school and she still has his speech down pat. very, very impressive... is it bad that i was more impressed by that than the fact that she can make a ny style cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies and brownies (all from scratch) AND knit all the babies in the class a hooded jacket while working part-time and taking care of her kids? actually, i'm just awed by how she can juggle everything. i can barely find time to pick out my outfit for the next day...

* * *

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day
to the last syllable of recorded time,
and all our yesterdays have lighted fools
the way to dusty death. out, out, brief candle!
life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
and then is heard no more. it is a tale
told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing.

(macbeth 5.5.22-30)

wow

* * *

simply delicious:

3/4 cup of milk
3 tbsp of mocha flavored instant coffee (i just used 2 tbsp of instant coffee and 1 tbsp of cocoa powder)
3 tbsp of granulated sugar (or 4, if you're a coffee wimp like me)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of crushed ice

blend well and enjoy your mocha shake...better than a frappucino and homemade too.

thank you, banana, for introducing me to the wonderful world of allrecipes.com.

next, i am going to make some sangria and then perhaps a mocha cake--who knows what other culinary treasures i'll discover?

honeyg has just bought halo 2. honeyg has just bought halo 2. if you didn't get that, here it is again. HONEYG HAS JUST BOUGHT HALO 2. the mechs have fallen and halo now rules. this time, the game is for REAL. he's already making new friends...ditching his geeky mech buddies for the shiny new clique of halo hellraisers. honeyg: i love you and everything, but sometimes don't you ever get the urge to read a nice, gentle book?

* * *

open house was cool. the teachers gave each parent a poster of our child filled with pictures and little comments. cute stuff...but then we had to watch a stupid movie about what to do/what not to do to aid in our child's development. i have to admit, i was doodling like crazy...

* * *

one of my kids from last year came up to me today and exclaimed, "yo, mrs. g, you lost mad weight!" normally, that kind of comment would make me happy, but it just worried me today. how could i eat as much as i eat and still lose weight? worry, worry, fret, fret...i did buy some coffee cakes today, so maybe it'll come back...

* * *

i'm organizing a trip with my sophomores down to the city in december. am i just a glutton for punishment or what? after the throwing-doughnuts-at-homeless-people incident of 2002 and then the voluminous vomiting episode of 2003, how could i resist going for a hat trick?

* * *

wow...when you cook onions in balsamic vinegar, you really end up reeking...

* * *

tiny: patiently sitting in my lap and waiting for me to stop typing so i can scratch behind her ears

cricket: roaming around the house, scavenging for the occasional crumb or bug, whatever shows up first...

honeyg: duh. playing halo 2, of course.

rh: sleeping peacefully...it's the calm before the storm...the agony of having four upper teeth coming in at once!

tomorrow, i'll be heading out to parents' night at rh's daycare center. sigh...i'm used to be on the opposite side, explaining to parents what i work on in the classroom with their little darlings. guess it's my turn to discuss my little darling...

* * *

my second set of results are back. my tsh levels (it has something to do with my thyroid) are normal this time, but they're hovering in the low side of normal. honeyg still thinks i should get my blood work done every six months. i hate getting my blood drawn...grrr...

* * *

how can a monday be so long?

why i love hardwood floors:

because it's so much easier to do the "running man" when i have my socks on...

thank you

* * *

oh, it's the most wonderful time of the year. it's time to calculate grades for the 1st marking period report cards. oh joy. oh bliss. oh happiness. thank goodness for microsoft excel. if i had to figure out their averages by hand, they would all end up with something like a 267.8986 average.

* * *

i think coconut chicken curry sounds better in theory than it actually tastes.

* * *

reading: king lear
listening to: the audio cd of king lear...my life is just too wild and crazy! can you handle it?

thanks everyone for the encouragement. honeyg drew my blood once again today to retest my thyroid hormone stuff levels, so i'll keep you updated. it's so nice to be wuved...sniff. =)

* * *

i don't want to sound paranoid or anything, but i'm seriously afraid of what the next four years will bring. we may not need everyone's approval, but it sure is scary to stand alone. you know what annoys me? if something does happen to the u.s. and certain countries give us a "i told you so" attitude, i'm sure there will be plenty of americans bemoaning how ungrateful those countries are because we're always saving their butts. as if imperialistic motivation is really a substitute for sincere altruism...

* * *

after covering a global 1 class today during my 8th period break, i was reminded of why i hate...no, how much i DESPISE freshmen. little brats...i kick you! i kick you all! uh...just mental kicks, mind you...no calls from cps, please...

* * *

TGIF!!! sigh...i miss the friday five.

bbq at max's on a cold, rainy day. that's about as good as it gets...

* * *

interesting story...

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening.

Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."

His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."

"That's crazy," said the friend. The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket.

His friend was utterly amazed. "That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have superhuman ears!"

"No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."

"But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk.

And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs. "See what I mean?" asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

Author: Unknown

Hyperthyroidism

When your thyroid starts producing too much thyroid hormone and the balancing system doesn't function properly, then you can become hyperthyroid, and your body goes into overdrive, gets sped up, causing an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and burning more calories more quickly.

bush wins and i test positive for hyperthyroidism. could this day get any better?

* * *

more tests on friday...and then hopefully we can figure out the next step. i really don't need to deal with this right now. we just got settled in our new house and the kids are starting to go with the flow. sigh. ok, i'll stop whining now. time to suck it up and DEAL.

* * *

here are my symptoms so far: blurred vision, lightheadedness, dizziness, memory loss, weight loss (even though i am eating like i'm a college student bent on gaining the freshman 40), fatigue, shortened attention span and drastic mood swings. it's like having pms while spinning around on a merry-go-round and then getting off to stumble through my day. fun, fun, fun...

* * *

honeyg bought me flowers, chocolate and more chocolate. he's also making my favorite dish of his, chicken stew. yay for niceness toward a cranky, ill wife!

deep thought of the day: hanging out with friends and going out to dinner with honeyg is now a treat as opposed to a given.

* * *

God bless america...and go to the polls! you have just a little less than two hours to vote!

* * *

we had our superintendent's conference today--over a thousand teachers from the entire district were crammed into our auditorium. of course, the people who planned the convocation decided to have the ahs marching band come in and play the national anthem. a nice thought, but a little deafening when you have three saxophones playing right behind you.

i noticed that this time i wasn't the only asian teacher in the district. i saw four other asian teachers--one male and three females and they were all around my age. it was like sighting flamingos in the middle of the woods. i know i shouldn't stereotype, but when i saw them i just wondered to myself, where did they come from and how the heck did they end up here?

we are a rare people up in these parts. nevertheless, 0.5% of the faculty is a heck of lot better than 0.1%...

* * *

it just doesn't get any stranger than this...

this morning, i ran into my colleague who had her dvd cables and remote control stolen during my class on thursday. i didn't see her yesterday because i took the day off, but she updated me on the status of her missing items.

before you continue, let me preface this by saying that a lot of the students and staff dressed up on friday for halloween.

apparently on that day, my colleague was sitting with her eighth period study hall kids, quietly reading. she was dressed as a piece of candy corn, with a hat, bright yellow wig and costume (this dress was as a-line as you could get--with metal hoops and everything for the appropriate candy corn shape).

all of a sudden--BANG!--the door flew open and then someone chucked a plastic bag into the room and ran away. my candy corn colleague took one look at the bag, realized that it contained the missing cables and remote, got up out of her seat (with a bit of trouble because of the hoops), and began to chase this kid down the hallway.

unfortunately, she didn't catch him...but i'm sure that the kid was laughing like crazy and running like hell knowing that this huge piece of candy corn was trying to nab him.

i was trying not to crack up as she relayed this to me and i would interject occasionally with comments like "oh yeah, the hoops must have been such a pain to manuever in" and "well, at least the wig stayed on as you ran after the kid."

man, you just can't make up these stories...

* * *

i have to say that even though having your husband give you a flu shot is weird, having him draw your blood is weirder...especially when he leans in to give you a kiss for moral support. WEIRD!