Friday, November 21, 2008
Meow
You know it's time for a weekend when...
..you teach the lesson you taught last week without realizing it. The students were too gracious to correct me, though many wondered afterward why we were having a review session of last week's homework. So they got a double-lesson today. Dur.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Underdressed, au naturale, and lots of fighting
It is official. It is cold here. We woke up to mid 30's this morning and actually turned the heat on yesterday. Yes, that is cold. And I keep thinking that I'm midwestern, so I only need a couple of layers to brave the cold while walking from car to class. Um, no. The wind (yes, there is a windchill this morning) cut right through my long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatshirt, and I shivered across campus. I forget that my midwestern blood bid me sayonara when the first Florida summer hit, and now my thin blood thinks I should be snuggled up in bed with an electric blanket. Underdressed indeed.
In other news, I've started a new hair-care regimen. I read about in a few blogs I read, and it intrigued me. Instead of using shampoo and conditioner (do you know what's in there? chemicals that are toxic and harmful! so they say) I'm using a baking soda solution for shampoo and an apple cider vinegar solution for conditioner. The benefits I've read about online are astounding-- no product buildup, more volume and life in my hair... sounds good to me! It's week one of this experiment, and so far, so good I think. Although Brad did ask if I was going to stop shaving my legs and armpits, since I'm getting all natural and hippy on him. (The answer was no.) The only downfall is that the apple cider vinegar solution, weak as it may be, stinks to high heaven and makes me gag from the smell. Not a great way to start the day. We shall see how this goes. At least it's super cheap!
Things have been ultra-hectic in the Bressler household lately. We're still happy campers, as evidenced above. Since I complain a lot, I thought I'd prove with a picture that we do smile sometimes. :) We've been keeping up with our neighborhood walks a few nights a week and have been meeting the neighborhood animals. The burrowing owls are back and fatter than ever (babies coming soon?), and we met a few cats around the corner. There are two healthy, friendly ones, Wendell and Gizmo, and then one we see around that is terribly mangy whom we affectionately call Mangy Kitty. Turns out the owner of the healthy kitties feeds the mangy kitty and calls him Big Head, since he does have a disproportionately large head... anyway, this has been a nice diversion from the crazy.
This semester Brad has two concurrent classes, which is a mistake made by his program but has been un-fixable. He is supposed to have one class for the first half of the semester, and then a second class for the second half. Well, no one told the professor of the first class he had only half a semester to cram everything in, so he planned for the whole semester. Weekly online postings, huge term paper, etc. The second class started up in late October, so Brad has been doing all the first class's regular stuff plus all the new stuff for the second class (readings, homework, test preparation). Nearly every spare moment that he's not at his regular job, Brad can be found researching for his paper, reading about forensic accounting, posting online, or doing homework questions. This has been a nutty month! The happy news is that after muuuuuch writing, many vacation days taken and spent working on his paper, Brad finished the 21 page draft last week. We spent some time this weekend editing and learning APA style, and Brad expects to turn it in by the end of the week. Much rejoicing is in order!
My tutor-coordinator job has been out of control as well. The end of October was the close of the first month of tutoring... and the first round of monthly paperwork turned in from our 30-some tutors. Since prior proper planning did not occur (though I tried, I was resisted), many teachers were not properly trained, and I have been cleaining up messes and putting out fires and doing data entry until my fingers bleed. Not really bleed, but until the battery on my computer runs out.
We will be happy when the holidays arrrive. Our university semester ends around December 11 and we will be glad to have a break from school.
Speaking of school, this past weekend we had a lovely date!
The university had a fundraiser night at the Everblades hockey game! Real pro hockey! That was a surprise as we thought we were going to a game of the school's club team. Driving into the huge arena we were in awe of all the cars... until we saw the marquee and realized it was a pro game. It was fun and replete with lots of fighting and an interesting first half-time show in which two people were put in hamster balls and raced down the ice. Oww.
This weekend Mom comes in town on Saturday night for a week (yay!!!) and then Sis arrives on Wednesday night right before Thanksgiving. Brad's birthday is on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, which we'll actually celebrate by eating seafood (chicken for me) and sitting out on the beach. Shelley works Thanksgiving in the ER which allows her to have Christmas off, so we'll have the family Thanksgiving and birthday celebration on Friday. Hooray for family time, for time to focus on the things for which we're grateful, and a break from chaos. Happy Thanksgiving!
In other news, I've started a new hair-care regimen. I read about in a few blogs I read, and it intrigued me. Instead of using shampoo and conditioner (do you know what's in there? chemicals that are toxic and harmful! so they say) I'm using a baking soda solution for shampoo and an apple cider vinegar solution for conditioner. The benefits I've read about online are astounding-- no product buildup, more volume and life in my hair... sounds good to me! It's week one of this experiment, and so far, so good I think. Although Brad did ask if I was going to stop shaving my legs and armpits, since I'm getting all natural and hippy on him. (The answer was no.) The only downfall is that the apple cider vinegar solution, weak as it may be, stinks to high heaven and makes me gag from the smell. Not a great way to start the day. We shall see how this goes. At least it's super cheap!
Things have been ultra-hectic in the Bressler household lately. We're still happy campers, as evidenced above. Since I complain a lot, I thought I'd prove with a picture that we do smile sometimes. :) We've been keeping up with our neighborhood walks a few nights a week and have been meeting the neighborhood animals. The burrowing owls are back and fatter than ever (babies coming soon?), and we met a few cats around the corner. There are two healthy, friendly ones, Wendell and Gizmo, and then one we see around that is terribly mangy whom we affectionately call Mangy Kitty. Turns out the owner of the healthy kitties feeds the mangy kitty and calls him Big Head, since he does have a disproportionately large head... anyway, this has been a nice diversion from the crazy.
This semester Brad has two concurrent classes, which is a mistake made by his program but has been un-fixable. He is supposed to have one class for the first half of the semester, and then a second class for the second half. Well, no one told the professor of the first class he had only half a semester to cram everything in, so he planned for the whole semester. Weekly online postings, huge term paper, etc. The second class started up in late October, so Brad has been doing all the first class's regular stuff plus all the new stuff for the second class (readings, homework, test preparation). Nearly every spare moment that he's not at his regular job, Brad can be found researching for his paper, reading about forensic accounting, posting online, or doing homework questions. This has been a nutty month! The happy news is that after muuuuuch writing, many vacation days taken and spent working on his paper, Brad finished the 21 page draft last week. We spent some time this weekend editing and learning APA style, and Brad expects to turn it in by the end of the week. Much rejoicing is in order!
My tutor-coordinator job has been out of control as well. The end of October was the close of the first month of tutoring... and the first round of monthly paperwork turned in from our 30-some tutors. Since prior proper planning did not occur (though I tried, I was resisted), many teachers were not properly trained, and I have been cleaining up messes and putting out fires and doing data entry until my fingers bleed. Not really bleed, but until the battery on my computer runs out.
We will be happy when the holidays arrrive. Our university semester ends around December 11 and we will be glad to have a break from school.
Speaking of school, this past weekend we had a lovely date!
The university had a fundraiser night at the Everblades hockey game! Real pro hockey! That was a surprise as we thought we were going to a game of the school's club team. Driving into the huge arena we were in awe of all the cars... until we saw the marquee and realized it was a pro game. It was fun and replete with lots of fighting and an interesting first half-time show in which two people were put in hamster balls and raced down the ice. Oww.
This weekend Mom comes in town on Saturday night for a week (yay!!!) and then Sis arrives on Wednesday night right before Thanksgiving. Brad's birthday is on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, which we'll actually celebrate by eating seafood (chicken for me) and sitting out on the beach. Shelley works Thanksgiving in the ER which allows her to have Christmas off, so we'll have the family Thanksgiving and birthday celebration on Friday. Hooray for family time, for time to focus on the things for which we're grateful, and a break from chaos. Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 03, 2008
So sad
It's terribly depressing around here, which is no surprise considering that Southwest Florida's economy has been built on the housing market for years. I just saw on the news that we're averaging about 2,500 foreclosures per month! In our county alone!!! Brad and I have been taking our neighborhood walks and counting how many vacant houses there are... and how many have their air conditioners stolen. It's so sad.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
It's been bugging me...
Two things I forgot to mention when they happened: (these are posted with Shanel in mind, as I know she's due on Tuesday with baby #2 and could use a laugh):
1.) A few weeks ago I heard a little click-thud. Very little, not loud, barely perceptible except that in Florida any noises I did not myself make are cause for concern. And I was right. An inch-long roach fell out of our recessed can light onto the floor. Not even kidding.
2.) Last weekend we experienced something not unlike fireworks. In our garage. I went outside to run errands and in the middle of the garage floor was a big old wolf spider. I gasped and Brad came to my rescue. He stepped on it and just like fireworks, little bitty spiders spat out in all directions. We got out the spray and gave them all a good shower. But it was really gross.
1.) A few weeks ago I heard a little click-thud. Very little, not loud, barely perceptible except that in Florida any noises I did not myself make are cause for concern. And I was right. An inch-long roach fell out of our recessed can light onto the floor. Not even kidding.
2.) Last weekend we experienced something not unlike fireworks. In our garage. I went outside to run errands and in the middle of the garage floor was a big old wolf spider. I gasped and Brad came to my rescue. He stepped on it and just like fireworks, little bitty spiders spat out in all directions. We got out the spray and gave them all a good shower. But it was really gross.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Happy (?) Halloween.
We're not big participators in Halloween festivities other than scarfing down as many mini-Twix candy bars as we can find. This year we ramped it up a bit. A few weeks ago as we sorted through our itunes mess we found that Brad had a soundtrack of scary sounds. So to participate in our neighborhood festivities, Brad went big.
He pulled out his big bass amp, plugged in the ipod, and pretty much all of southwest Florida could hear the scary sounds. Titles like "Cats in Hell", "Stabs and Splats", and "Scary Dentist" reverberated throughout Lehigh, competing with the joyful sounds of the high school marching band at the football game down the street. After about, oh, ten minutes, I just couldn't take it any more. The Scary Dentist was pretty much the deal breaker; loud dentist drills with maniacal laughter (presumably by the dentist) and moans and screams (presumably from the patient) just didn't spell "restful evening" to me. But it was funny while it lasted, sort of. I felt all naughty doing it, too, since we never do anything Halloween-related.
A little later the kiddies came over, dressed as a kitty cat and a clone trooper or something. They came straight from the big harvest party at their church and snuggled with Brad and watched cartoons while Shelley and I caught up.
In other news, we're doing everything we can to increase our health these days, eating more healthily, walking regularly, and today started taking vitamins. I was told if we put the fish oil pills in the freezer and take them with food, we wouldn't get fish burps. Um, no. You know how I gag really easily, especially on my uncle's boat, when I smell fish? Yeah, I just lost my breakfast. Poor Brad hasn't lost his yet, but is wishing he could. No more fish oil for us. This has to be a practical joke put on by doctors. "Ingest fish oil? No, that won't be gross. You'll love it!" And the moment we walk out the door, the maniacal laughter begins.
He pulled out his big bass amp, plugged in the ipod, and pretty much all of southwest Florida could hear the scary sounds. Titles like "Cats in Hell", "Stabs and Splats", and "Scary Dentist" reverberated throughout Lehigh, competing with the joyful sounds of the high school marching band at the football game down the street. After about, oh, ten minutes, I just couldn't take it any more. The Scary Dentist was pretty much the deal breaker; loud dentist drills with maniacal laughter (presumably by the dentist) and moans and screams (presumably from the patient) just didn't spell "restful evening" to me. But it was funny while it lasted, sort of. I felt all naughty doing it, too, since we never do anything Halloween-related.
A little later the kiddies came over, dressed as a kitty cat and a clone trooper or something. They came straight from the big harvest party at their church and snuggled with Brad and watched cartoons while Shelley and I caught up.
In other news, we're doing everything we can to increase our health these days, eating more healthily, walking regularly, and today started taking vitamins. I was told if we put the fish oil pills in the freezer and take them with food, we wouldn't get fish burps. Um, no. You know how I gag really easily, especially on my uncle's boat, when I smell fish? Yeah, I just lost my breakfast. Poor Brad hasn't lost his yet, but is wishing he could. No more fish oil for us. This has to be a practical joke put on by doctors. "Ingest fish oil? No, that won't be gross. You'll love it!" And the moment we walk out the door, the maniacal laughter begins.
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