Janzarama

Merlicious

2009-06-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

Shouldn't ALL merlots be . . . .

Can you do this?

2008-11-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

This woman is her own instrument!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3opU4nCLAOY

Score!

2008-10-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Though my wrists were slapped yesterday, it was worth it as Opie has responded quickly to being thrown under the bus. His office has researched the problem and the teachers are supposed to get their checks by Monday.
His reply to me was to forward any concerns directly to him or his assistant (which I tried to do but she wasn't there). It was actually rather positive despite the tire marks on his back. So Opie says to report things directly to him. My principal says to forward everything to him. Wow, everyone wants to hear from ME ME ME!

Ouch, my wrist . . .

2008-10-01T18:31:00.001-07:00

After dropping my f-bomb yesterday, I proceeded to email all of the teachers who didn't get their extra pay an explanation. In a nutshell, I turned paperwork in to Opie, it sat on Opie's assistant's desk, vois la, no pay for all of you. Addressed to all teachers concerned, cc'd to Opie, my principal, et.al.

Today I'm told to direct any problems directly to my principal as Opie did not appreciate being thrown under the bus. "You mean the same bus that I'm laying under?" Well the email was placing blame at Opie's office. "It WAS their fault." Opie wanted the chance to investigate. "I turned things in BEFORE it was due, emphasized the importance of getting this done in time and it wasn't done; therefore, their fault." Just contact ME in the future, not my boss.

Okay micromanager. I will make sure that the rain is only on YOUR parade.

I swear . . .

2008-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'm no prude by any means, but I try to keep my language as decent as possible among my friends at work. Today, I lost it. Dropped the f-bomb in the middle of our workroom. Working in a large urban school district is like trying to push watermelons through a sieve. No matter how hard you push and try to make it happen, it won't. Our relatively new superintendent is recruiting his youthful minions to affect much needed change/improvement in our district. One of his recent hires, Opie Cunningham has been an extreme disappointment. Today I find out that paperwork that was submitted one month ago to pay 35 teachers for working the Saturday and Sunday before the first day of school to set up their classrooms has been sitting on his ASSistant's desk. I get the paperwork completed a full week before it is due and today, payday, the teachers were not compensated for their extra time. They had to come in on their own time because the district was not able to complete renovations to a group of portable classrooms. This is NOT the first time that district employees have dropped the ball. Oh, no it's a way of life for them.

What comes around . . .

2008-09-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

Bohemoth hair accessory. Blue polyester faux silk brocade jacket w/Imelda Marcos puffed-sleeve treatment. Silk ankle-length twist skirt. Blue Birkenstocks

Never throw any fine fashion away because it will always come back . . . like a bad canker sore or dengue fever. But I selectively follow this mantra and save a few fashion gems in the recesses of my closet, because one just never knows.

As a teacher, I work at a school that has different celebrations (homecoming, Halloween, Ethnic Celebrations, etc.) which might call for dressing up in some sort of theme. I have intermittently participated through the years, having shown up to school as a punk rocker, Buckwheat, a groovy gal from 70's and most recently I rocked the 80's. Did I go out of my way to purchase a costume? No, these fine ensembles were all just hanging in my closet. Proud? Maybe. Disturbing? Definitely . . .

Bad hair life

2008-09-05T20:35:00.003-07:00

When I think I'm having a bad hair day, I just have to remember this and I feel just a little bit better . . .

More scary than clowns . . .

2008-09-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Something about these dolls scares me. Maybe they look too real, or their smiles are really hiding some sort of demonic evil. I just had to walk away . . .

Chihuly

2008-08-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

I know that many people poo poo the work of Dale Chihuly, the famous glass artisan from Seattle. Sure, now he has his minions to do the hot and dirty work that brings life to his creations and probably hasn't blown anything of his own in years. But his art elicits oohs and aahs from people all over the world, so it can't be that bad. Here are some of my favorites from his recent exhibit at the DeYoung Musuem in San Francisco.

Achtung!

2008-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

These little beauties caught my eye. Haven't seen pointy cabbages like these in the states. They look like soldiers standing at attention, don't they?!

Spaghetti Ice Cream

2008-08-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Germans are an ice cream-lovin' people, especially in the charming towns on the Rhein River. Plenty of places to get gelato; in Bacharach we had some from an Italian couple who set up shop there. This beautiful plate of spaghetti ice cream was in Rudesheim. I thought there would be some sort of strange pasta in it, but it was simply ice cream extruded through some sort of PlayDough-like contraption. Doesn't it look delish?!

As a woman . . .

2008-08-12T19:06:00.001-07:00

. . .I'm extremely proud of the fact that I lived out of that suitcase for 3 weeks! We left for our trip on June 15 and returned home on July 6. I had another tote bag that held a sweatshirt and raincoat for some cooler weather in Ireland, but everything else was in that suitcase. How did I do it? Lots of wash-and-wear tops, two pairs of shorts, a denim skirt, two pairs of jeans and two pairs of shoes. The husband used an identical suitcase and managed to pack a Slip n' Slide . . . don't ask!

TV anyone?

2008-08-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Went to see the Eurocup finals between Germany and Spain. Arrived at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, found our seats, and waited nearly three hours in our seats to watch the game . . . on a huge jumbotron. That's right, 50,000+ Germans watching the game on a screen, for free by the way. How about the US opening up some of our larger venues to drum up some national pride for a sport? Could anyone imagine the Raider Nation watching a stadium game on a screen? Not sure if that would work . . .

Not your average beer hall . . .

2008-08-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Germany was a lot more culturally diverse than I had thought. Imagine our surprise to find a hotel that looked like a Mexican cantina. My dear friend was delighted to pull off this surprise for us, a little piece of Mexico in the heart of Dresden.

Maybe they'll listen . . .

2008-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Perhaps if I were to use this get-up, I'd command more attention from my students . . . that's if I had some this year. Yup, out of the classroom, but dealing more with colleagues. A strange paradigm shift for me. I don't want to be a grown up!

Do they know how funny this is

2008-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

So my husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Germany w/ two very dear friends. We cruised the beautiful Rhein River as we sipped on delicious beers and wines of the area. The towns along the Rheine have big signs . . . this one caught my attention.

Presenting Janzarama

2008-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well everyone else has a blog, so why shouldn't I?! I'm a bit drained as I have returned to the toil that is my job after a lovely 8 week respite. Complaining? No. Just stating the facts of my cyclical life as an educator. They used to say that the best things about teaching were June, July, and August. Now it's pretty much June and July, AND the time when things are going decently at the grind. Yes, I am somewhat jaded, but still believe that there is hope for our future. Every time I see a former student who is doing well, there's my little ray of hope!