Arie's World

Wed:
* Arrived at SD Marriott Marquis around midnight
* Google + Huddle (Huggle)

Thurs:
* Line for Ballroom 20 with Jul, Josh, Nick, & Shock – missed Psych panel
* Ringer Panel – interesting
* Game of Thrones Panel – awesome!
* Swag at the Fulfillment Room
* Squid, Inc Headquarters
* Con Floor
* Bucca di Beppo
* Maloney’s Pub
* Drunk Emmett giggling into the night

Fri:
* Con Floor – every aisle!
* Artwork purchase
* Nap
* Con Floor again
* Dinner at Indigo Grill with friends
* Drinks at the Tipsy Crow
* Drinks at the Cowboys & Aliens Saloon

Sat:
* Line for Ballroom 20 out to the Pier
* Terra Nova Panel – suck!
* Futurama Panel – So awesome!
* Simpsons Panel – SOS
* Con Floor
* Hanging with Adrienne & friends at Squid, Inc Hdqts
* Dinner at Cafe Diem with Angelique, Heather, Ryan & John
* SyFy Red Carpet with Eureka
* Comic-Con Rave at the Sails Pavilion
* Hyatt Slamcon Industry party

Sun:
* Pack up Squid, Inc Hdqts
* Con Floor
* Late lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory with John, Adrienne & Erin
* Left Con at 5:50pm and arrived home at 8:01pm!

Highlights (in no special order):
* Got very little sleep. Partied and wandered around til after 1:00am every night and woke up around 8:00am every day!

* Emmett, John, Angelique & I played on Google + Huddle (Huggle) for almost an hour on Wed night! So silly and fun.

* Got most of the Wayne Casino poker chips: $5, $10, $25 & $50. Traded some Angry Birds pins for the $1 chip.. hope the guy mails it to me!

* Fox gave away Angry Bird plushes & T-shirts to fans with Angry Birds installed on their phones! I got a few!

* Dinner at Indigo Grill with many friends. Took 2 taxi vans to get there. Dinner was amazing and the company kicked ass!!!

* Loved the Game of Thrones and Futurama panels. In Futurama, Matt Groening had a draw-off with the lead artist on Futurama. Hilarious.

* Met Matt Groening and gave him my Gotharama pin that I made.

* Bought some art from Theresa Mather. She is going to make a Dagan bat cat art piece and I get the first edition!!! http://www.rockfeatherscissors.com/

* Eureka cast members, Colin & Neil, jumped the fence to say hi to fans at the Syfy Red Carpet, which we accidentally walked by. Angelique was so happy to meet them. We also got video for Erik & Ricki of them wishing them good luck with the new baby!

* Met Peter Warburton (Big Trouble) at the Sails Pavilion

* Spent some time talking with Peter Beagle & Connor (Last Unicorn)

* Tattoo & Coke at Squid, Inc Hdqt

* Ended up at an anti-Syfy industry party at the Hyatt with some pretty nice people

* Danced for a bit at the Rave at the Sails pavilion. Lots of people in costumes. Free nachos & cupcakes! Music kinda sucked, but the atmosphere was fun.

* Found Pikachu on Fri, Sat & Sun!

* WB booth area much easier to navigate than last year, except during Lego raffle

* Really awesome fantasy artists this year. Bought some art from some very talented artists!

* Best swag: Game of Thrones pack from the panel

* Best costume: lady with the death star dress & tie fighter in her hair

* Worst moment: waiting in the sun for food at the South Park food trucks

* Best moments: taking photo with Pikachu & sitting down to dinner with friends for my birthday!

* Regret: not going in our awesome looking pool at the SD Marriott Marquis

* Best luck: getting a hotel at the SD Marriott Marquis – soft, comfy beds and soooo close to Con!

* Best meal: Indigo Grill

* Worst meal: Comic-Con Cafe pizza at the SD Marriott Marquis South Tower

* Best drink: Key Lime pie martini at Indigo Grill

* Most disappointing area of Con Floor: vendors selling figures and toys. Boring.

* Best locations on Con Floor: Pokemon booth, DC booth, Fantasy Art & Artists Alley

* Adrienne drove me home and it only took 2 hours due to our secret path out of SD!

*** More pix up on my FB profile ***

Comic-Con, it was a blast! See you in 2012!!!

Who celebrates turning 34 anyhow? I guess I’ll have fun and celebrate being alive, but 34 really isn’t anything special. Next year, 35, seems like more of a milestone. Mid-30s! Wow!

So, I haven’t posted since May. I see that Facebook has become my blog, so to speak. I think my site updates FB though, so let the x-posting begin!

I am on summer vacation right now. Unfortunately, I have been sick the entire time with a sinus infection. It is not keeping me down, but it’s slowing me down a little. I did enjoy an amazing week in Tahoe with Kyle, Violet, Joe & Simeon. I plan to enjoy a really kick-ass Comic-Con 2011 too! However, I haven’t been to the gym lately, and I am a little tired of being tired. At least I am on break.

I start up work again on Aug 1st (teacher development). Students come back on Sept 7th. I miss my students – a lot! I really have some amazing girls, and I hope they are having a great summer. I know most of them probably miss one another too. I know some miss me. They message me on my teacher FB account sometimes It’s super sweet.

So, life – my cats are doing well. Dagan & Aurora are holding on strong, considering they were diagnosed with kidney failure in Feb 2008. They are aging, but they are doing well for their age and ailment. You’d never know they were dealing with kidney failure by looking at them!

Kyle – he’s amazing! He is real. He treats me with love and respect, and he is very good to me. He is talented, funny, and very good looking. I am so happy to have him in my life. He’s not perfect, but neither am I. Together, though, we make an almost perfect team!

Home – I love my apartment. This is my first 2-story apartment since living in Gainesville, FL. It’s feels more like a house. I have a washer / dryer too!

Money – is tight! I make $500 less than I need to survive. Teachers are not paid nearly enough in this country! I am trying to pick up as many weddings as possible, and I am doing okay with this endeavor. I love weddings, and I am thankful I can go to weddings a few times a month.

Okay, back to facebook….

“We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants – a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America’s precepts. It doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded, that you believe all of us are equal,” he said. “In embracing America, you can become American. That is what makes this country great.” ~ President Obama

My graduating seniors, most of which take my Algebra 2 class, are stressed about college. They don’t know how to pay for it, as some of them are undocumented. They have lived in this country since early childhood, and want to become a citizen. They speak English very well, will have a diploma very soon, and are really great people. I want them to have the opportunity to make a great life for themselves here. I hope the DreamAct has another chance. I hope immigration reform happens soon!

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My life – I am soooo tired! I can barely think or even get all the things done that are on my plate. I have photos to edit-print-mail, papers to write for class (UCLA), assignments to complete (for UCLA), tests to grade, future lessons to plan, files to organize (at home and at school/work), an apartment to organize, clothes to put away, a car to wash, a cold to get over, bills to pay, accounts to close, groceries to shop for, weddings to officiate and photograph, events to attend, students to tutor, nails to fill, legs to wax, shows to catch up on, people to keep in touch with, food to cook / eat, and find time to sleep. All of this has a deadline of about a week (or less). This may sound like a lot, but it’s a much easier week than the last two weeks have been!

Much of my life right now is good, even though time is not my own. I have a great boyfriend, adorable cats who are doing well, a newly married sister, a happy family (back on the East Coast), a terrific apartment, the ability to offer a friend a couch to sleep on, a great job (and a contract for my job next year), great friends, a pretty purple car, money enough to pay bills, more cake than I know what to do with, and a very comfy bed to sleep in each night.

I feel good about where my life is going, but I am more than tired out from the run to the finish line of each challenge along the way. I am looking forward to a few weeks off this summer (I think I get 5 or 6 weeks), Comic-Con in July, Lake Tahoe with Kyle in July, Kurt’s wedding in Chicago in September, hopefully a visit to NJ for Thanksgiving, and hopefully a trip to SoFL in December. I look forward to finishing my preliminary teaching credential this summer and clearing my credential next spring or summer. I look forward to sleep..

More than anything today, I want sleep!

So far, April has been a pretty lousy month. I got into a car accident and my wonderful Roxy Red Prius is now in car heaven. The frame was bent in the accident, so Geico had it totaled. The accident is technically my fault as the oncoming party did not have a stop sign; however, I feel like it was a bit unfair as I couldn’t tell if the cross-street was a 2 or 4 way stop due to a tree, and nobody was coming down the hill when I pulled out. Regardless, two cars collided. Both the other driver and I are fine. Her car was made of super-metal or something, because it was barely dented. WTF?!

Anyhow, Geico only gave me Kelly Blue Book value for my car, which does not take into consideration the inflated gas prices and tsunami driving the prices of used Prii up! I can’t find a 2007 Prius with all of the features I had for under $24,000! Geico only gave me $17,900. Ugh! After days of crying, searching, and test driving smaller / cheaper cars, I decided on a Honda Fit. Kyle found one for me in Torrance that was within my price range; so, today, we went to see it. It is great! I bought it on the spot. I don’t have navigation or a back up camera anymore, but that’s life… It is super cute!

In other news, my job is not secure as the Principal is holding open interviews for ALL staff positions in order to find the perfect staff for 2011/2012 school year. I hope to be selected, but he did say he wants “experts,” and since I am a new teacher, we’ll see if he’s willing to make an exception. I will know by mid-may after my interview.

Also, I have a 75 page document due to UCLA by May 6th, which I am nowhere done with. In fact, I’ve only had the time and ability to do about 25% of it thus far. I am truly overwhelmed.

Needless to say, I have been depressed. But at least good things are coming. I am looking forward to the happy tears I will have at Elysia & Kalen’s wedding at the end of the month. Kyle’s 30th birthday is on May 7th, and I am going to be heading up to my timeshare in Tahoe for the 4th of July. I hope things only get better from here…

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/18/nasa.moon/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Don’t miss it! See it in the East around sunset!

Google has been amazing at helping people find one another during some major disasters that have taken place recently.

If ANYTHING ever happens in your area, search for Google’s Person Finder, enter info on someone you know about or search for someone you want to know about.

Here are some of their awesome apps:

Japan: http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
New Zealand: http://christchurch-2011.person-finder.appspot.com/

Please remember this information as it could help us all find one another should anything drastic happen to the areas we live in!!!

Test

I definitely had a whirlwind of a year. I started off working for a wedding invitation company, kept growing my wedding photography business, and ended up a math teacher at an all-girls charter high school.

Kyle & I have grown as a couple and are very happy, we have taken some great vacations together, and went on some super fun adventures locally! My friends are truly the best, and I can’t thank them enough for being in my life!

I have great roommates, great kitties, a great job, and a fantastic boyfriend. I am very happy! 2010 ended up being a pretty great year!

Sadly, I can’t really remember all of it. Thankfully, I take photos!!! Enjoy!

Started the New Year with some of my best friends at Koji’s

My sexy man was behind the bar, but still had time for a few kisses and photos with his best girl!

Went out to dinner at BJ’s (Burbank) with friends for Bobby’s 39th Birthday.

Went for a hike at Point Vicente with friends.

Coordinated and hosted a booth at the Phoenix Bridal Show for Lola Felli

Ate a lot of frozen yogurt with good friends. Got to hang out with Jason when he came to town on layovers!

Went to Disneyland a lot, especially at night.

Sang a lot of karaoke at Koji’s, Springbok, and Sardo’s.

Played some kick-ass broomball with great friends!

Enjoyed a lot of parties with friends.

Celebrated a lot of friends’ 30th birthdays!

Went to Palm Springs with my love!

Partied with the ladies.

Enjoyed Captain EO with great friends!

Went to some fun shows!

Went to meet (again) the author of my favorite story, The Last Unicorn… Mr. Peter Beagle!

Went to see some incredible magic at the Magic Castle.

Had more adventures in Disneyland!

Saw some beautiful peacocks and plants at the LA Arboretum.

Participated in World Pillow Fight Day!

Tailgated a few cheesy movies with great friends.

Had a great Easter dinner with Kyle’s family, complete with earthquake!

Hiked with Greg to Griffith Park Observatory from the base of the mountain.

Pet some horses at the LA Equestrian Center.

Saw some cute meercats and other animals at the LA Zoo.

Hosted another fun Creepy Cages BBQ.

Saw a taping of That Metal Show with Alice Cooper!

Adrienne & I finally caught up with the Grilled Cheese Truck!

Elysia & Kalen got engaged!

The Changing played the Supper Club. Fun times!

Elysia performed her One Woman Show “I Got My Tits Done in Beverly Hills” at IO West.

Had a blast at Bats Day with great friends!

Partied with Kyle for his 29th birthday in Las Vegas, after he played a kick ass set with 10 Years at the Hard Rock Casino!

John, Sandy & I hung out with Kyle on the 10 Years tour bus for a bit before hitting up the town.

Celebrated Nick’s birthday at Tokyo Delves

Took a trip with John L to Pearsonville, CA to photograph some awesome junky cars under the full moon!

Roamed the Eastern CA desert with my camera in hand.

Saw Roger Clyne play the Mint with Megg & Josef.

Partied with friends at Koji’s!

Kyle’s last 2010 show with 10 Years, at the Roxy. Amazing show!!!

Gemini Syndrome at the Roxy! Another truly awesome show!

Emmett-Fest 2010

Many fun and drunken Monday nights at Lucky Strike.

Paul & Jessie play Koji’s.

Concrete Blonde at the Music Box for Jason’s birthday.

My visit to FL for Kat & Tim’s wedding, I got to see some of the cutest little girls on the planet… the kids of my truly amazing friends!

Hiking with Kyle’s family in Idyllwild for the 3rd of July.

4th of July at the beach with TMC folk!

My Kemo Sabe birthday gathering in San Diego!

Laurel & I found Pikachu at Comic-Con!

Look at my birthday dinner!!! Wow!!!

Trivia Bowl 2010! Our team was split into two; and, even though I was not on the winning team, I am so happy our friends won!!!

Gavin & Heather got married!!!

Saw Weird Al at the OC Fair!

Karaoke at the Bok.

Elysia turns 29!

Laser Tag at Ultra Zone! We even had some FL friends with us!

Gigi & Pramod got married!!!

Cowboy Night at the Camp Out 2010

Porch Stock 2010

Alice & Her Horse – Halloween!!!

Had a great Autumn Party potluck!

John & Greg had a birthday Absinthe / Rock Band Party that was really super fun!

Thanksgiving at TMC

Explored the cemeteries and the haunted city of New Orleans!

Kyle, the Kitties & I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a truly kick-ass new year!!!

As I sit here with a sleeping cat on my lap, having to pee, but not wanting to get up and disturb her, I reflect upon my awesome weekend that is not over yet…

Wednesday, Kyle & I made Veggie Pot Pie from scratch. Elysia & KC came over to hang out. Kyle & I then went for a walk to the Americana to look at the 100 ft Christmas Tree! It is a REAL tree, cut down from the Mt. Shasta region. They only cut down trees nearing the end of their life-cycle, and they replace each tree cut down with 14 new trees!

We spent the evening watching “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” and hanging with the kitties. Penemue and John were over for a visit.

Thursday, slept in! After breakfast, Kyle headed home and I just relaxed for a bit around the house. Then, John, Sandy & I went down to TMC for Thanksgiving dinner. I made a veggie casserole. We spent the evening with great friends, playing video games and having wonderful conversations.

Later in the night, after Kyle got off of work, he came by for a bit. Then, we drove down to Oceanside to spend the night at his parent’s house. We arrived and passed out just after 2am.

Friday, slept in a bit, then had a nice breakfast (made by Bill, Kyle’s dad). We then spent the day relaxing. I went internet shopping for Black Friday sales. Kyle & I took a walk around the neighborhood, then came back to have Thanksgiving dinner with the family. It was delicious!!! After dinner, we relaxed some more. We left around 9:30pm to head back home. I passed out by 12:30am. Kyle headed home to get ready for his weekend in the studio with Daisuke.

Saturday, slept in again (yay)! Texted Adrienne to see if she wanted to hit up the malls. She totally did, so we got ready and went to the Galleria, Americana, Target, Bed-Bath-&-Beyond, Bath & Body Works, and Ikea! We got some great deals and had a fun day out! We grabbed a white peppermint mocha on the way back home.

Now, waiting for John to get over here so we can go see Tangled. Gracie just hopped up, so now it’s time for me to have leftovers! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pix on FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94489&id=1362273040&l=abf7ea19bc

I don’t even know what day it is sometimes. I am constantly in motion, constantly thinking about what I’m supposed to do next. I have so many moments I should be living in, but I am always two steps ahead… in my head. Even while watching Harry Potter, I was already thinking of the conversations I might have with friends after the movie about the movie. Did that ruin the movie for me? No, but I think I could have enjoyed it more if I could commit my mind into the moments that were unfolding in the present.

It seems the only things I do “in the moment” these days are pet my kitties and cuddle with my boyfriend. Everything else seems like a means to an end, and I am not happy about it. I feel like I am missing out on my life.

I can’t tell you how many times I say to myself, “I wish it were next June!” I’d be done with school (my credential). I am so far behind in almost everything I need to be doing: editing, online school, lesson planning, keeping up with the apartment, etc. I find myself dreaming of the days where I have nothing to do… no agenda.

Even with my busy schedule, I find time to have fun. I just don’t have as much fun as I would if my mind were not elsewhere. Here are some of the things I have been up to:

Frid, 11/12 – Came home, got drunk and made cookies. Ended up at an art show in the hood with John R & Josef at 1am.
Sat, 11/13 – Photo shoot, then party in the Hollywood Hills
Sun, 11/14 – Edited photos, did homework, played Angry Birds
Mon, 11/15 – Paid off my car
Tues, 11/16 – Edited photos, homework
Wed, 11/17 – Drove to UCLA (Westwood) after work, then home on surface streets
Thurs, 11/18 – Edited photos, homework, Angry Birds
Fri, 11/19 – Harry Potter 7 at the IMAX in Ontario with lots of awesome people
Sat, 11/20 – Slept in, then went to the LA Zoo with Kyle. Giraffes and Lions were hiding due to the rain and cold. Still very enjoyable. Night: Party at the Towers for Greg & John R’s birthday… so much fun! Absinthe & Rock Band 3!
Sun, 11/21 – Slept in at Kyle’s, enjoyed breakfast and a relaxing day together, then met up with a client (booked Officiating gig for June 2011), then spent the evening editing photos.

Now – Sitting with cats, watching Big Trouble, and about to go to bed (maybe play some Angry Birds)

This week’s plan: Thanksgiving at TMC with friends, Thanksgiving dinner at Kyle’s parents’ house on Friday, see my dad on Saturday, edit photos and do homework on Sunday. Have a great week everyone!

PS. If you live in LA, go check out the Americana’s Christmas tree!

I survived! Hooray!

So, I didn’t sleep much, as expected, and I woke up at 5:45am to get ready for work. I left at 6:45am and got to work around 7:15am.

Once inside my classroom, I started printing docs for my students: A Learning Style assessment and a Get to Know You worksheet that focused more on education than on favorite “things.”

I did not yet have a roster of students, and most of the students came to school without a ready-schedule. The school manager was working frantically all weekend to prepare for our students, as most register very very late! Some as late as today!!

School normally starts at 8:30am, but it took until about 9am to get every student into a roster and get them off to an Advisory. I welcomed my students to their Advisory, and shared a bit about who I am and my philosophy about learning. We talked about class expectations and goals, played the name game, and did the assessment and worksheet above. The students were mostly respectful, but a few kept talking and texting. I need to work on these few.

Algebra A was my next block. These girls were great! A few were texting, but they mostly listened and discussed math and learning with me in an orderly way. One student even thanked me for caring about her and gave me a hug! Sooooo awesome!

Lunch was next, then my planning block (which I used to prep for Geometry).

Geometry – My students came in talking and texting and never stopped. They were not interested in playing the name game, but I had them play anyhow. One girl still would not. I had trouble talking over the loud students, but I tried to share my philosophy of learning with the girls, as well as some real world experience. They did fill out the learning style assessment and get to know you worksheet. They were a very difficult class to control. I need to work with them on Wednesday to set up some solid ground rules.

After school – I spent a few hours reviewing the Get to Know You worksheets and Learning Style assessments, as well as talking to another teacher about rules and strategies for gaining classroom control. I ended up staying until 7:45pm. I am super exhausted!

Before bed, I am going to work on tomorrow’s plan for my Algebra A (2) and Algebra B classes. I think I’ll sleep well tonight!

Thursday, 9/9/2010 – My Camp-Out weekend started with a great dinner with some of my fellow Crumbs: April, Melanie, Hans & Teresa. My friend Josef joined us as well. We ate at Masa in Echo Park, the restaurant where Melanie works. Amazing food! I’m going back here for sure!

Kyle and Melanie’s boyfriend, Anthony, met up with us to walk to the Echoplex to see Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven play locally. What a great venue!!! It is probably my favorite LA club venue now! Great sound, great lighting, great vibe! The show was amazing! I loved the Cracker Van Beethoven ending to the show too! Some of the other Crumb family were at this show. It was so great to see them!

Friday, 9/10/2010 – Headed out to Pioneertown, but got stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours! I didn’t get to Yucca Valley until 6pm. I got dressed into my Indian costume, and headed to Pappy & Harriett’s for the show. I met up with Missy for dinner. We were sitting with Denny, Matt & friends. I got my favorite P & H meal: delicious cheese fries! I have been craving these for months!

After dinner, we put my hair in braids and went outside to watch Gram Rabbit’s set. They have a newer song, “Off With Her Head” that is pretty awesome!!! After their set was Camper Van Beethoven. Sooooo much fun! I got a few pix, but didn’t feel pressured to take flash pix or get different angles as Brad Jones was on it. I just got to enjoy the show – singing and dancing along with the music!

After CVB, we went inside to watch Johnny Hickman and the Mighty Grasshoppers sets. Completely amazing! Chris & Johnny bring the greatest vibe with them! So much energy, happiness, and passion! I spent some time chatting with David “Immy” about LA, restaurants, clubs, music, etc. He’s a very genuine and talented man! After a bit, the show ended and we all said our good-nights and dispersed back to our hotels. Lee crashed with Missy & I at the Best Western.

Saturday, 9/11/2010 – Woke up, got breakfast at John’s Diner. I was one of 5 UF grads in the tiny diner, and most of them were checking their phones for scores on the UF / USF game.

After breakfast, we went swimming at the pool with some of our fellow Crumbs. The pool was cold, but I got into it for a bit. People were laughing at me for bringing my hot coffee into the pool with me. After a bit, I got out and sat around drinking Horchata Liquor and eating cheddar cheese gold fish. That was lunch. Haha

Took a nap, then got dressed into my cowgirl garb. We headed up to P & H for the Meet / Greet. I took some photos, hung out with some great people, and then we had dinner, which took almost 2 hours! They were slammed! I took a short nap after dinner, than headed to the outdoor stage to watch the Bellrays. Wow!!!! Tina Turner has serious competition!

Cracker was next, and it was an incredible show. Again, I didn’t worry about photos as much since Brad was covering. He got some great shots! As for me, I danced around with the Crumbs around me: closest were Julie, Judy, Donna, another Donna, Lora, and Phil. Melanie, April, Hans & Teresa were close – RSR. Missy got her awesome space on the edge of the stage too!

After Cracker, I hung out with Soraya & Shay for a bit. We had a great chat, and I really enjoyed spending time with them! I, then, walked around for a bit saying hi to people and chatting about the night. I caught the Macabre set inside, then headed outside for Porchstock 6. Wow… I have to say that this was a truly HUGE PS! I loved it. It seemed “very slightly” formal, but anyone with an instrument was still invited to play along, which is the whole love and greatness that is Porchstock. I almost requested a song (which I never do), and within a few seconds, Johnny started playing it (without me saying a word)! Haha… “Hold of Myself”

Phil played an awesome slide guitar thingy, and his dad, Gary, sang sooooo beautifully during Johnny & Frank’s soup break. I didn’t get to try the soup It looked good, but I got to it too late. Oh well. I had peanuts in front of me to snack on. Dave D & I filled up on those!

After PS, Lee & I said our good-byes to those we wouldn’t see at Fi-Stock. It was very sad, but it was also so wonderful to see so many amazing people – my extended family! I felt the love all around!

Sunday, 9/12/2010 – Woke up at 10:30am and got checked-out of the BW. Lee & I went to the Wheel Inn (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) for me to get a bite to eat on the way to Lo-Fi Stock at Chris Leroy’s studios. Once we got to Lo-Fi, I settled into the back to work on lesson planning and catch up on emails from my school. I got some great pix of the bands playing too. Got to hear some new Danger’s songs! I loved the Gigglejuice set too! Actually, all the bands / performers were amazing! I really love how chill Lo-Fi is. It’s a good way to wind down the weekend. After saying our good-byes, I took Lee to John Wayne airport and then came home.

I start teaching tomorrow… I really need to get some sleep, but I am super excited and anxious! I’ll post a first day recap tomorrow! Night all!

I started working at New Village this week! I am soooo happy! My colleagues are really amazing people, and I just love our Principal. He’s a really good person, and it’s so clear that he is not only great at his job, but loves it! This week was staff development week. We had 5 busy days of discussions, games, brainstorms, readings, planning, and getting-to-know you sessions. I feel a great amount of support and care from my fellow teachers, and I am looking forward to getting to know them even more over time.

So, here’s what I took out of this week that I need to focus on a bit:
1. My students will probably not trust me or even like me until they see me return next year. They have had many people in their lives abandon them, and until they see me come back, they will not be so sure they can trust me.

2. My students will test me – test my patience, test my willingness to share information, test my ability to teach them, etc. I have to be ready to handle all their questions with calm, dignified, caring, appropriate responses.

3. I will be teaching Algebra, Geometry, and Pre-Algebra. Many of my girls (students – all girls’ school) will need review of basic math functions, but some will be at Algebra II level. I have a lot of lesson planning to do!

4. We are teaching in block scheduling and I will also have an Advisory class. My advisory will likely be 9th or 10th graders, and I will be preparing them for internships and projects for their portfolio. This is a big-picture transitional school. I will have a lot of opportunity to motivate and influence them in positive ways – about life and the working world.

5. My classroom doesn’t have any windows and only one door. It’s a smaller classroom, but I am not sharing it with anyone else; so, I will get to decorate it with math and fun projects my students create! I am very excited about having a dedicated space to create a comfortable learning environment!

6. I expect my students to be very withdrawn at first, but I hope they get more involved as they see that I truly mean to help them learn and care about them. I am concerned about looking so young and so “out of place;” however, I hope they will be able to relate to me in some ways. Just like them, once I was 16, I was responsible for my own education without anyone pushing me to get good grades. It was all up to me!

7. I need to break up the blocks with small pick-me-up games. The girls are competitive, so games will help raise their energy level and make math seem less overbearing.

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Next week: lesson planning, studying for my CSET II (Geometry), then going to see Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven at the Echoplex in Echo Park (right by my work). They play on Thursday. On Friday, I leave for Pioneertown for the Camp-Out! I can’t wait to see my fellow Crumbs! I am soooo excited. What a great way to start the school year – hanging out with my extended family and enjoying great music, great scenery, and great vibes together!

So, I have a job!!! I will be teaching at New Village Charter HS in Echo Park. I am the ONLY math teacher in the school; so, I will be teaching all grades, all math subjects, and all students. NVC is an all girl’s school with many of the students coming from very difficult life situations. They will need extra care and support to get their diploma and develop life-skills for a bright and successful future. I am looking forward to meeting them and teaching them math!

I know a lot of people are scared of math, but math is really something EVERYONE can learn with the right instruction, practice, patience, and a solid foundation. Math is exercise for your brain’s problem solving mechanism in the same way working out or running is exercise for your body’s muscles and circulatory system. Some people may never love math, but hopefully I can teach my students to appreciate the use math has in cooking, banking, investing, credit (car buying and loans), and in determining distance / rate / time for travel (which will come in handy when buying cars with various mpg ratings) and their distance from home to work. I want to teach my students how to budget, write checks, balance a check-book, and how to determine a good “buy” in a store!

So, I am very happy I have a job, and very hopeful to make a difference in my students’ lives!

I am still somewhat overwhelmed though. I have a Geometry CSET in early November, 5 classes at UCLA Ext this Fall, wedding photos to edit for my awesome couples, albums to create, weddings to photograph, weddings to officiate, and now students to educate. This is going to be a very busy Autumn! I hope it’s not too stressful. I hope I can still make it to Trivia once in a while and I hope to spend some quality time with Kyle, Lyse and friends too!

Wish me luck!

Also, if anyone has any textbooks or school supplies to donate, we could really use them!!!

After Comic-Con, I had a hard time adjusting to my every day life again. It was so much fun and so surreal that I really didn’t want it to end.

During the week, I worked hard on school; but, I still can’t keep up with the reading. I’m 5 chapters behind now. I hate this. The more I fall behind, the more overwhelmed I get. Still, I can’t seem to keep up.

I did have a wedding (officiating gig) on Thursday afternoon. The couple was incredibly in love. I rarely see couples THAT happy. It makes me jealous, but it also makes me happy that so much love really does exist in the world!

After the wedding, which was in beautiful Topanga Park in Pacific Palisades, I drove home to pack for a night away. Kyle picked me up around 8:15pm and brought me beautiful flowers! I love flowers!!! I couldn’t stop smiling!

We drove down to Oceanside to pick up the key to the marina, then headed to San Diego to spend the night on his parents’ sailboat. It was a very unique experience, and I hope to do it again someday! We had music, but were far away from everyone and everything else. It was nice!

In the morning, we got breakfast at Point Break (coconut pineapple pancakes – yum), then we hung out on the boat for a bit, took a walk along the water, then headed to dinner at Tao (Vietnamese / Japanese restaurant). It had a whole vegetarian menu and the food was PHO-nomenal!!! Haha!

On the way home, we stopped back in Oceanside to drop off the key. Great timing too! We ran into Kurt, Kyle’s brother, who was just finishing up packing the car. He is moving to Chicago to be with the love of his life. We got to see him off!

Once home, my sister, Jay, and Nick came over to Kyle’s with ice cream cake and my favorite movies. We watched Moullin Rouge. It should have made me very happy, but it actually depressed me. I have passion that deep, but it goes so unused and unappreciated. I have such an ordinary life – void of that kind of beautiful magic, music, truth and love.

After the movie, I felt so alone… even though I were surrounded by my sister, boyfriend, and good friends. I felt so lost and so distant. I wanted to melt into the movie, become part of that world, and leave my own life behind.

Today, I woke up, took Kyle to the train station and came home. I fed the cats and passed out til noon. I kept hitting snooze on my alarm, and finally got out of bed at 12:40pm. I spend the day editing photos, which I am so glad I finished!

After that, my depression set back in. I tried to drown it out by watching Friends, but eventually ended up just going back to bed for a long nap.

I am not sure what to do next. I have more classes next quarter, still no teaching position, money is very tight right now, and I’m feeling dissatisfied by everything. I may go back on my Lexapro for a bit to see if that gives me the boost I need and focus for school. I also can’t waste valuable study time feeling depressed. I just don’t have any time to waste. In fact, I could really use more hours every day!

So, tonight, I’m going to catch a ride to Hollywood with Josef. He’s having dinner with Ryan and Heather and offered to get me some grub. I really want to go to the Gemini Syndrome show, but don’t have enough gas in my car to get there and back (only one bar). I also don’t have enough for parking and a ticket. It’s just money I can’t justify spending right now. My unemployment checks have NOT yet resumed, and it’s very stressful. I did spend way too much on myself this birthday (at Comic-Con… eating), and I shouldn’t have. I don’t regret the fun I had, but I do wish I had budgeted better. I also realized I had an extra vet bill this month due to Dagan’s condition earlier this month. That set me back an extra $400. Well, I’ll survive. I always do. I just have to be careful and enjoy only the freebies in life for a while. Thankfully, I am really good at living for cheap and having fun for free and for under $5.

I hope this year turns out to be as great as my birthday wishes told me it would. I hope I feel passion returned to me, not just escape from me. I hope my kitties have good health, and I hope I can make it through school without too much stress.

At this age, I do want more than the little things. I want something grand and intense. I guess we’ll see!