Carrie and Tala: BFF

experiment

2006-05-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Vons,

I was excited to try your online shopping and delivery service because I dislike grocery shopping. I am looking forward to trying the service again after you get some of the kinks worked out. I personally experienced the following kinks:

Delivery was an hour later than the window (window was 5-7, groceries were delivered at 8)
Dish soap was squished and thus exploded over all the other groceries in the bag creating a sticky mess.
The vegetarian rice I carefully ordered was replaced with chicken rice (I’ll have to give it away since I am a vegetarian).
I received cheese that I did not order and did not pay for (it’s okay, I’ll eat it anyway).

I hope this information helps you improve your processes.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Hayden
Order #: 25614

flowers

2006-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

http://cyhayden.net/gallery/Wildflowers

work

2006-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

As I near the home stretch for the school year I find myself more and more eager for some time away from the kids. Just normal teenage stuff is really getting on my nerves. The kids are just as eager for summer as I am. We all have June jitters.

At school, we got two pieces of news today. First, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) granted us a six year reaccreditation (the longest possible). I was part of the WASC leadership team, so I am very proud.

Next, we got our 2004-05 Academic Performance Index (API) ranking. We ranked 3;10. That is, with ten being highest, our standardized test scores rank 3 state-wide but 10 compared to schools in our demographic category (racial and socioeconomic). That means that even though our kids are still deficient, compared to other minority low-income kids they are doing the BEST!

weekend

2006-05-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Friday was the prom. I wore the same dress as at the wedding and encountered no problems, zipper or otherwise. The prom was on the Queen Mary and felt more like a wedding than a prom until they starting playing really loud reggaeton, at which point it just felt loud. The prom included a sit-down dinner and the food was actually really yummy. The vegetarian plate was pasta with vegetables in a parmesan butter sauce. Mmmmmm.

On Saturday, I went climbing at tick rock in Santa Monica.
Pros: close.
Cons: not much climbing.

The trip was rather ill-fated. When we got there, no one else was there and we set up a top-rope. After a little bit, another climbing party arrived. I was about 60 feet up on the rock when I looked down and realized that some lady was climbing directly beneath me and was only a few feet below me. Now, for those who don’t know, it is very poor climbing etiquette to climb below someone. If I had fallen, I would have kicked her in the head. She also clipped into the same anchors that I was using which was really weird/rude. This would be like someone going up to you in a grocery store and starting to use your grocery basket. Later, on a different route, Keith took a magnificent 8-foot lead fall and scraped himself up, so we decided to leave early.

updates

2006-05-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

***Dentist Update***
I went to the dentist this afternoon after dreading it all day. The dentist seemed impressed by my hole and confirmed that it was not a cavity hole but a natural crevasse. I was so scared of getting it drilled because I have never had to have a tooth drilled before and I have heard that it is very unpleasant. Actually, it was no big deal. The dentist just poked around at the hole a little bit to make sure it was okay and then slapped some epoxy in there and $200 later I was on my way. No drilling. I feel really good about my new filling.

***Teacher Appreciation Update***
I bought three boxes of See’s Candies Nuts and Chews for the three other members of the special education department. Tonight I am working on writing really nice thank-you notes to go with the candy so they know how much I appreciate them. I think that See’s Candies are way better than a pace message.

***Prom Update***
Prom fever is in the air. The teachers are especially excited about this prom. 80 students bought tickets and 40 teachers bought tickets. Did you have a 2:1 student to teacher ratio at your prom? The prom is themed “masquerade”. The math department (Joe, Alex, and Dan) went over to the costume store in Torrance to buy masks and I entrusted them to pick one for me. Would you trust three male math teachers to pick out a mask for you? I am excited to see what they picked out.

testing

2006-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today is California Standards Test testing. Do you remember taking long boring standardized tests? I do. I remember them being really awful. Proctoring them is almost as bad as taking them. The difference is that when proctoring them you can play on the internet but it is still really boring.

I am proctoring special ed. kids, so I try to make it as painless as possible. I get them breakfast and drinks and candy. I also give them breaks and lead them in stretching exercises while playing loud music. Maybe this is not the best way to give a test but it does keep them from falling asleep (mostly).

Today is the dreaded dentist appointment. Oh gosh.

gratitude

2006-05-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION READERS: This week is Teacher Appreciation Week!!!

So far I have been appreciated in the following ways:

#1: Thank-you Note
I received a sweet note from a ninth grade boy who wrote, “Thank you for understanding me and thank you for believing in me.”

#2: Teacher Appreciation Lunch
We had a big catered lunch today. The theme was soul food. Vegetarian choices included mashed potatoes, biscuits, mac & cheese, and other similarly greasy food with soul. Due to the sensitive nature of my tummy, I generally partake in such foods with moderation. However, in my appreciation ecstasy, I gobbled up too much greasy food and felt sick for the rest of the day. There was also cake (my nemesis) and I ate a lot of that too.

#3: Pace Message
This evening I received a recorded phone call from the superintendent of Inglewood School District. She wanted to give every Inglewood District employee a personal thank-you. This struck me as odd for two reasons. First, I do not work for Inglewood School District, so I wonder how she got my number. Second, although she specifically said that her message was intended to be personal, it was prerecorded and it sounded like it was sent to all district employees. But hey, I know that she took the 10 minutes out of her schedule to record that pace message, so thanks, I feel appreciated!

the slammer

2006-05-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

You can listen to This American Life with streaming audio at http://www.thislife.org/. I often do so while I am doing the dishes. I would like to recommend last week's program, Lockup, which has various stories about prison. I always thought that it would be fun to teach at a prison. For one thing, there would be no behavioral problems because if I student was being bad, you could kick him out. For another thing, in prison, school is a privilege. What a wonder it would be to teach students who see school as a privilege and an opportunity.

Speaking of prison (haha, bad joke), I will most likely be signing my contract tomorrow, which means I will be at ECHS for at least one more year.

tooth problem

2006-05-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

When I was 10, I got a filling but not a cavity. One of my molars had a deep crevasse and they decided to fill it in so it wouldn't attract a cavity. The filling fell out and I have a big gaping hole in my tooth. It does not hurt or feel strange in any way, but it is strange to have a tooth with a hole.

I have to go to the dentist but I have no dental insurance. I wonder how much this will cost.

boring day

2006-05-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today I was tortured for 8 hours at UCLA and tomorrow I’ll have to endure another 8 hours of torture. I am taking a 1 credit class called “Health for Teachers”. Today I learned about mental health, asthma, childhood obesity, and reading food labels. The only worthwhile session was the one about food labels, which was actually very interesting. I learned that I need to stop eating so much sugar and should eat more fiber. Then I went home and had pasta and two nutty bars (all sugar, no fiber, oh well!).

Yesterday I went to REI to use my member special 20% off coupon. I got a book called “Sport Climbing Southern California” which has some information about some new climbing areas that I am excited to check out. I am going to set up a trip for Tick Rock in Pacific Palisades for next Saturday. I’ll post a full report later.

In other news, there are a lot of field trips coming up at school soon. Normally I really enjoy field trips. They are a chance to get out of the classroom and try something new. But right now I just don’t feel too excited. These are trips with mostly general ed. kids and it is exhausting to have to monitor kids that I don’t know very well. I wouldn’t mind if I only had to work with my SPED kids, but that is not how it works.

chores and errands

2006-05-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today I had to take care of several chores and errands. First I went to the mall to return the Anne Taylor dress. I told the employee the story of the zipper and the wedding and she was satisfyingly appalled and apologetic. I want the dress because I want to wear it to prom and any other formal occasions coming up, but they didn’t have any in my size, so I ordered it.

Next I went to the bank to deposit the $3,500 worth of paychecks that I have been negligent in depositing for the past month.

After that, I went over to Old Navy to use the $25 gift card Mommy gave me in Texas and got some new climbing pants.

Finally, I headed to Trader Joe’s for some much needed groceries. I dislike grocery shopping and do it as seldom as possible. I can get away with only going once a month or so. I challenge myself to spend as much money as possible and usually average about $200. I try to buy like, 4 boxes of granola bars, 6 boxes of cereal, 12 cans of soup, etc. to stock up.

Texas pictures (thanks Ben!)

2006-05-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

(above) She-Ra Princess of Power

(above) They believe in a casual wedding reception in Texas. Cheese Curds at A&W anyone?

(above) In Texas, vegetarian food = green vegetables (of course!).

(above) A wonderful visit in San Antonio with GM & GP. The weather was a perfect 90 degrees. I wanted to stay forever!

dress needed

2006-05-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

I went to the gym today and climbed that 5.10c that I couldn’t do last Monday, which was nice.

Today was the first day back to work after a few days off with the trip to Texas over the weekend. Going back to work is always hard, but today went well. I did some meetings, did some assessments, talked to some parents, and taught my classes. This next couple of weeks is going to be hard because I have my dumb health for teachers class this weekend.

The big thing coming up soon is the prom, which is two Fridays from now. Due to circumstances described in other blog entries, I have no dress and the mere thought of shopping for one is awful. *sigh*

Mommy, sewing me into the nightmare dress.

continued wedding dress woes

2006-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

I started getting ready for the wedding an hour and a half before we had to leave. I showered, did my hair, did my make up, and finally, 30 minutes before departure, slipped on my dress (the $170 Anne Taylor dress that I finally settled on). I pulled up the zipper and it stuck half-way up. I asked Ben for help and giving it a mighty tug, he pulled it up the rest of the way. About three seconds later, a grand ripping noise let us know that the zipper had popped. Several attempts at zippering and unzippering did not fix the problem; the zipper (that went from thigh to bust) would not remain shut.

It was a nightmare (literally, girls actually have nightmares about things like this). Can you imagine not having a dress mere minutes before the wedding? Panicking, now only 5 minutes after we were supposed to leave for the wedding, Mommy was the calm in the storm and called the concierge to bring a sewing kit. Making tiny stitches and trying her best to hide them, Mommy sewed me into that dress up the zipper line while Daddy and Ben anxiously waited to leave for the wedding.

A carefully places shawl hid the stitching brilliantly and the evening went well. Getting the dress off at the end of the night was just as hard. Even after I took out all the stitching, the broken zipper kept me locked into that dress. I ended up having to actually cut myself out of the dress. It was awful.

climbing rest

2006-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am taking a couple days off of climbing after going to the gym on Monday and failing to be able to climb a 5.10c that I have done a dozen times before. I usually have a very good climbing day after a short break, so when I go back to the gym I should be able to climb an 5.11b or so (I wish!).

In other news, Spencer has a cold and has been sneezing frequently. As a kitten, Spencer was diagnosed with feline herpes, so this is probably just a flare-up. Don’t worry, human beings can’t catch feline herpes. Schataje on the other hand is doing well. She is eating her food and continuing to take her treatments like a sweet cat.

senioritis

2006-04-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Senioritis is in the air. Prom (on the Queen Mary) is in a three weeks, senior night (at Disneyland) is in six weeks, and graduation is a mere eight weeks away. I will be graduating nine special education seniors, which I am rather proud of as the graduating class is only 53 students (that is, if all my seniors manage to pull it off and pass all their classes this semester). My special ed. seniors have already been accepted to:

- UC Irvine

- Cal Poly Pamona

- Cal State Northridge

- Cal State LA

- Cal State Domingas Hills

climbing at Big Rock

2006-04-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sri, Eugene, Keith and I went climbing at Big Rock, near Lake Perris in Riverside County. We started on some easy leads (5.5 and 5.6) since it was Eugene’s first time climbing outdoors. Since we had two ropes, we were able to get some fun pictures (see below).

After lunch, we tried out a different section of rock with some 5.9s. We set up one rope and then Keith wanted to try another 5.9 near by. I was lead beleying and Keith was lead climbing. About 50 feet up, the bolts got sparse and Keith climbed a full 25 feet with no protection (a fall would have been over 50 feet and against rough granite!). He was over a high ledge so I couldn’t see him or hear him and was beleying totally by feel. It was pretty scary and I was annoyed at Keith for taking such a risk. He got so high that he exceeded the rope length and had to down-climb to some loops on a different route. We discussed it later and decided that we wouldn’t do climbing like that again in the future.

After a little rest, we did another couple routes and then headed some for some much needed food and rest.

Big Rock has very crimpy holds.

sicky

2006-04-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

sick dog

2006-04-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Tala has been sick. Last night she stayed in the blue chair with a big bloated belly all evening. During the night, she woke me up a couple times to let her out so she could vomit outside. She puked on the front steps outside the house. At least she didn't puke in bed. I can tell that she still feels a bit ill. She wants to get in my lap and sleep there, she needs comfort and attention. Poor dog.

iceage

2006-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

I had my first ipod freeze today. It came at an inopportune moment when I had a whole hour of driving in front of me. I was reduced to listening to the radio and (ugh) an actual old cassette tape that I had in the car. When I got home I discovered that I could do a “soft reset” by holding down the menu and select button simultaneously. This solved the problem in 10 seconds flat, whew! I have a year warranty on this gadget anyway, so I wasn’t worried.

wedding preparations

2006-04-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

I found a dress at Anne Taylor. It is not perfect, but I’ll do. I just picked the first dress that mostly fit and looked okay and was black (to match the shoes I already have).

I also got a hair cut. She took about ½ inch off the bottom and I think it looks a lot better. It had started to get really straggly at the ends. The hair cutter lady even exclaimed, “Wow, how long has it been since you got your hair cut?!”, which made me feel a little embarrassed, like I have been abusing and neglecting my hair and someone should call the department of hair and human services on me. Actually, it has been over two years since my last hair-cut, but I didn’t admit that to the lady.

bad news

2006-04-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

The dress I ordered for the wedding was too big, so I sent it back for a small. I got the small one in the mail today and ugh, it still hangs on me like a burlap sack (maybe its the fabric, not the fit). Anyway, I have to go shopping tomorrow for a new dress and send this one back for good. I'll try Macy's.

exciting things

2006-04-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Two exciting things happened today.

#1 (very exciting)
I visited payless for a quick look-round and discovered, to my great joy, that the sandals I have been lusting over (but couldn’t bring myself to spend $90 on) have a knock-off. Newport Keen ($90), meet Payless Airwalk ($27).

#2 (most exciting)
The climbing helmet that I have been lusting over (but couldn’t bring myself to spend $70 on), arrived unexpectedly in the mail. It must be an Easter miracle (thanks Mommy and Daddy)!

4018 Tilde Ave = Animal Farm

2006-04-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Another day with nothing in particular to do. I watched two episodes of Sopranos (which I have free on demand because I have digital cable and a special promotion).

I have been working on lesson plans for summer school. I am planning to teach Animal Farm and am trying to make the curriculum accessible for all students regardless of ability level, because after all, all students are equal but some students are more equal than others.

Here are some pictures I took of the animals today.

"Four Legs good, two legs bad."

"Ugly Doggie is watching you"

celebration of Cadbury

2006-04-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Easter, I introduced a Jewish friend to the joy of the Cadbury Cream Egg. He got through 1.5 bites before throwing it into the garbage. I got through 2 bites before throwing out mine. He is not a cream egg fan; he has decided to sick to macaroons. Now I have four boxes of macaroons that he forgot to bring home after the climbing trip. Macaroons are better than cream eggs. Cream eggs make me feel slightly nauseated.

sport climbing Joshua Tree

2006-04-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went rock climbing in Joshua Tree. A couple months ago, I went to Indian Cove with the 10^th graders, so I thought that Indian Cove would be a good place to try out without the kids.

We left early Saturday morning and got to Indian Cove before noon. We started out by scoping out the rocks and were disappointed to discover very few bolts and very few bolted anchors.

Since it was hot, we went and explored a secret cave for a few hours. We made it all the way through the cave. We went in under one rock and came out a fair way away on the other end. Finding our way through took quite a bit of exploration and we took several wrong turns before finally making it out at the end. It was very exciting.

After the cave, we drove a few miles to the public library to look up “sport climbing in Joshua Tree” (sport climbing means with bolts). We discovered via the internet what we already saw ourselves: that there are very few bolted climbs in J-Tree. Undeterred, we returned to Indian Cove and scouted some possible climbs for Sunday.

We stayed at Motel 6 and headed back to Indian Cove early Sunday morning to try our first climb: Billboard Buttress, a 10.a with 5 bolts and chain anchors. Unfortunately, a large group beat us to the rock and were trad climbing our climb!

Rather than waiting for the group to clear, we decided to explore a large bolder clump called Morbid Mound. Morbid Mound has nary a bolt so we knew it would all be top-roping. We scrambled up the back and patched together some anchors by slinging long lengths of webbing around arm-chair sized boulders. I am ashamed to say that our anchors were not perfect as our webbing was inadequate for such a set-up. Among my immediate group of rock climbing friends, all together, we have just barely enough webbing and carabineers to set up safe top-ropes with decent bolted anchors. With nothing but nature, it was tough. Nevertheless, we did what we could and made sure we had two to three sources or protection for each top-rope. The climbing itself was fun but fairly easy.

After 4 or 5 climbs, we knew that it was time to go. We got back to L.A. tired and sore. It was a fun weekend!

Earth Day

2006-04-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

At Environmental Charter High School, we celebrate Earth Day with a big carnival. All of the students contribute. The ninth graders set up informational booths about environmental issues, the tenth graders lead games, and the 11th and 12th graders do stuff too. Every year, over 600(!) elementary kids come and share Earth Day with us.

So, today is Earth Day and the kids are all here and it is pouring rain. Everyone is soaking and all the booths are drenched. Fortunately, I was assigned to the reading room, where we are reading little books that our students wrote about environmental issues. I am nice and warm and dry, but I am one of the few.

feathers

2006-04-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Today, as I swept the kitchen, I discovered numerous feathers. It is mysterious and somewhat worrisome. Schataje, naughty cat!

naughty cats

2006-04-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

The cats have developed this very annoying habit of meowing to be let in despite the fact that they have a cat door. In and of itself, that does not sound too bad, but imagine Spencer bawling at the window at 1 in the morning. Yeah, it is a problem. If I leave them, they keep yowling, but if I go open the door, it rewards the bad behavior. What a pickle!

professional developments

2006-04-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Interesting fact #1:
I am one of only ten people who were accepted to the Cal State Long Beach Educational Specialist Level II credential program. I’ll be starting in the fall.

Interesting fact #2:
I am considering pursuing National Board Certification next year, which is the highest level of certification that a public school teacher can earn.

Interesting fact #3:
I have decided to start researching educational administration/leadership programs at the universities so that I can start working on my administrative credential.

Interesting fact #4:
I am going to apply to be a presenter at next year’s National Charter Association conference (Inclusion in Special Education: A Model for Charter Schools).

Interesting fact #5:
I was invited to interview for an assistant principal position here at my school, but I decided not to pursue this opportunity at this time.

Point Dume

2006-04-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, several buddies and I went climbing at Point Dume. We started on a tricky 10.C. The lower part of the climb was simple enough, but chaucy, up top though, the climb got really hard as the face was bald and smooth. The roar of the ocean, which was only a few yards away, was all you could hear up there, and it was a little scary! Next we climbed the beach facing side of the rock and did a fun 5.7 that everyone was able to finish. The weather was perfect and we saw dolphins, whales, and a seal!

clean garage

2006-04-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have mostly completed the great garage clean-up. Almost everything is neatly packed into plastic containers or brown boxes. The floor is swept and the furniture is covered with dust cloths. Hurray me!

home sick

2006-04-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

I was out of work sick today. I was up until 2:00 AM, coughing, I hope this isn’t another Bronchitis, I don’t think I could stand it.

I was a boring day. I like staying home if I have planned it and things to do, but hate staying home sick, it seems like such a waste. I did use the time to get several chores done.

#1 Dropped off my application to CSULB (although I have been a student there for the past year, red tape required me to completely reapply to the university for my level II credential)

#2 Bought a new toothbrush and a new collar for Schataje

#3 Packed up much of my “cookware” (baking pans, casserole dishes, etc.)

#4 Downloaded a bunch of music for my IPOD, for example:
a. Shine – Collective Soul
b. Nothin’ but a G Thang – Snoop
c. Wannabe – Spice Girls
d. Summer in the City – Lovin’ Spoonful
e. Desperado – The Eagles
f. Many more

#5 Took some pictures of the animals (see below)

#6 Wacthed multiple espisodes of Sell This House, Move This House, and Flip This House

What a day!

school stuff

2006-04-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

I did conferences today, and only had two “no-shows”, which is probably my best success yet. They actually weren’t that bad. Usually I get at least one or two criers, but this time no parents cried, no students cried, and I didn’t cry (got close though, talking to a parent whose six-year-old is struggling with brain cancer and feels so guilty about not having time to devote to her older kid).

Exciting news: only two more days before the big ECHS Talent Show (Friday, 7 PM, Redondo Beach Playhouse, $5 – for interested parties). I have several students who are performing and I am really looking forward to it. One of my students is performing poetry and several others are singing. I can hardly wait!

parent teacher conferences

2006-04-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Parent teacher conferences start tomorrow and mine span the next two weeks. Conferences are thoroughly unpleasant for all parties. They are unpleasant for me because I usually have to break the bad news about how poorly the kid is doing in this area or that. They are unpleasant for the parent because they have to receive the information about how poorly the kid is doing in this area or that, and they are unpleasant for the kid because, well, you get the point. Of course, I try of focus on the positive, but I teach special education and it follows the kids struggle academically, so the parent conferences are bound to have some unpleasant moments.

The worst is when I present some unexpected bad news, like this paraphrased conversation from last semester.

Me: Jan is failing three of her classes.
Mom: What!? Why didn’t anyone let me know before now!?
Me: I’ve sent home a progress report every Friday for the past 12 weeks.
Mom: Well, I’ve never gotten even one of them. You need to make sure that the parents are getting them.
Me: I require that be signed and brought back on Mondays. In fact, my records show that I’ve gotten back a signed progress report from Jan every week this semester.
Mom: Well, I sure ain’t signing them!
Jan: Ummmmmm…..

T41

2006-04-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

18 months ago, my school started a 3-year lease on 11 T41 IBM Thinkpad laptop computers for $46/month each. Two of these laptops have since been stolen.

Of the remaining nine, eight have not had to either have their hard drive, motherboard, or power supply replaced. These laptops are less than two years old. It seems amazing to me.

My own laptop has had both it's motherboard and hard drive replaced.

sick day

2006-04-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

I missed my CPR/First Aid course today due to a bad cold and fever. When I woke up this morning I felt dreadful and knew that I wouldn’t make it through a whole day of training. I took some Actifed (the best cold medicine I have found) and started to feel better. Nevertheless, I have been battling a fever all day and have been tired and achy as a result.

Tala and I did manage a little bit of activity today. We took a walk by the creek and went to see the new comedy/horror movie, Slither, which wasn’t very good.

Tonight, Tala and I will be playing Settlers with several friends. I have a new strategy to try out, so hopefully I’ll get a win!

sick

2006-03-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

Sick again.

update

2006-03-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

Further research (i.e. asking my Spanish native 10th graders) has revealed that para de chingarme actually means stop f*cking with me! Oh gosh, that is even more rude than I suspected.

The punishment that the Dean of Students assigned for this particular infraction was rather severe. The parent had to take a day off work and shadow the student at school all day (which incidentally was today). Of course, today her behavior was impeccable. But then, she always does behave for me.

Students usually behave for me even if they misbehave most of the time in other classes. The reason is that I often quickly win them over. For better or worse, many students see me as a magical type of person who makes them able to do work that, without me, would be impossible. I spend much of my time trying to show them that I am not the magic key and that they do have the skills and can learn the strategies to do it all without me. However, being that many do see me as the magic key, their behavior is generally good for me.

unlovable

2006-03-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

I went to the sample gear sale today at Beach City Rocks and got a nice new hat. Then I went home. I went home without having much of a climb because the place was crawling with wild kids and because I don’t feel great. I have a cold coming on.

When I got home, I gave Schataje her treatment and gave Tala a bath (lucky dog). Now I am contemplating tidying up a bit before getting into bed early. I am also watching “Extreme Makeover Home Edition – After the Storm” which takes sappiness to a whole new level of sap.

Tomorrow, Tala will be attending school with me. The students are so excited. They have been waiting for this and asking about her everyday since I told them I would bring her in two weeks ago. Days when Tala visits are like holidays, the kids love her! I brought in this book for them to read to her. It is about a hideously ugly dog; Tala can relate.

work at home

2006-03-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

I did not go to work today. I took the day off and took care of stuff at home. I went to the grocery store (for the first time in almost a month!), bought a couple new plastic containers at Target, deposited a bunch of checks, cleaned the garage and worked at packing/organizing the house. Tala and I got quite a bit done, but I couldn’t believe how quickly the day went. A few years ago, when I was unemployed and sat at home all day for three months, the days just seemed to drag by a year at a time. Today was over, it seemed, almost before it had begun!

retrospective

2006-03-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

1998, cold fall day in Philadelphia

Wallis, drinking eggnog out of a cup on Christmas Morning, 1997. What an amazingly talented dog.

Fall 1994, marching band. I played saxaphone, because it is louder than clarinet and you can use a strap. It was fun but cold and very dorky.

1996, Incredible! I have always had a long tongue.

pug = pig?

2006-03-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

Poor Puggy-wug
Oh, what is the matter with poor Puggy-wug
Pet him and kiss him and give him a hug.
Run and fetch him a suitable drug,
Wrap him up tenderly all in a rug,
That is the way to cure Puggy-wug.

- Winston Churchill

Echo Cliffs

2006-03-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today, Keith, Joe, Sri, Tala and I headed out to Echo Cliffs for a day of climbing. The hike in was a real butt-kicker, hot, long, and exposed. But it is worth it, because climbing at the cliffs is great. Tala especially liked the hike and even did a few 4th class scrambles by herself. When we reached the cliffs, we started out in the Grotto and climbed a 5.9 and a 5.8. Then we jetted over the Easy Street and practiced leading on some really easy climbs (5.6 and 5.7). Finally we went over to the Java Wall and climbed up a 5.10a and a 5.10b. It was great day, and we are all exhausted!

5.8 in The Grotto

Tala, guarding the gear.

Schataje update

2006-03-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

Schtaje is really well this week. She has more energy than I have seen in a long time and I didn’t notice any bleeding at all this week (Schataje has been experiencing bleeding since way back in summer ’05 but we didn’t really notice for a long time).

Schataje has come to enjoy her treatments very much. I say, “Schataje, it is time for your treatment” and she runs over, jumps in my lap, and nuzzles my hand while I get the needle ready. During the treatment, she purrs and flexes and unflexes her claws happily. I used to think she purred because she was nervous, but now I know that she purrs because she is happy. I wonder why she likes them, that needle hurts!

big trouble

2006-03-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

I was out of the classroom all day at a training seminar about standards based ongoing assessment (yawn). My sub got mad at one of my ninth graders and sent her to the office for saying "para de chingarme", which apparently is very rude. I have been spending the last ten minutes trying to figure out what this means. Here is what my investigation has turned up:

Babelfish translation: “it stops of chingar to me”
Freetrasnlation.com: costs $39.95, not worth it

Compilation of spanishdict.com and pigeon.tzo.com:
In order for (para) of (de) screw me (chingarme)

Based on these last, I interpolate that it means something like:
“Go screw me”

Oh dear!

easy life

2006-03-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

My life got so much better today. I was getting totally fed up with my 5^th period class. It was chock-full, three different grade levels, and a bad combination of kids. So I called an emergency department meeting this morning and broke my 5^th period class into two classes, one to be taught by me and one to be taught by Jeff and Mateo. The new classes are each manageable and a huge improvement. Being in a decision making position is so nice. Wouldn’t it be awful to have a problem class and nothing I could do about it!

slug marathon

2006-03-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons that public school is only 180 days per year is that it teachers can’t stand any more than that. Right now I am at the tail end of a very long period without any breaks. Winter break was 11 weeks ago and I have three weeks to go until spring break (a whole week off). I feel like I am running a marathon. I just hit mile 21 and don’t think I can make it to the end.

I am going to take a day off next week and just be slug at home and try not to think/worry about 12^th graders who are failing and at risk for not graduating, 11^th graders who won’t follow rules and are at risk for expulsion, 10^th graders who cheat and got kicked out of the High School Exit Exam, and 9^th graders who still are not being given the support from their general ed. teachers that they desperately need. Nope, I won’t think about any of that, I’ll just be a slug and watch TV and eat popcorn and drink Diet Coke. That will be nice.

schataje-bell

2006-03-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

After a rather grisly discovery this evening (third bird in two weeks), I have decided to have Schataje wear a bell.

current interests

2006-03-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

Currently watching: Six Feet Under, Season 5
Currently reading: just staring The DaVinci Code
Currently listening to: Don't Do Me Like That, Tom Petty
Currently climbing: 5.10cs and 5.10ds (at last, I thought I was stuck on 5.10bs forever)
Not Watching: American Inventor (what a disappointment!)

summer school

2006-03-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to teach summer school this summer, but didn’t know what I would be teaching. I am “highly qualified” to teach multiple subjects so it could have been anything from math to English to *gulp* history (but I hoped not!). I asked Rachel yesterday, and she thinks that I’ll be teaching English 9.

I am excited about it because I think it’ll be a fun class to teach. I hope that I can teach either Of Mice and Men or Animal Farm.

basic instinct

2006-03-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Schataje came in through the cat door this morning with a live bird in her mouth! I yelled and she dropped the bird. The poor thing flew behind the refrigerator, with Schataje in close pursuit. I grabbed Schataje and locked her in the bedroom and pushed the bird out from behind the refrigerator with a broom. The frightened creature flew into the cupboard under the sink. I had to capture it with a colander and put it outside.

Schataje update

2006-03-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

UPDATE!

Schatajae visited the vet on Thursday. The vet took some blood. We got her ferritin back right away. Schataje is running low, indicating that she is anemic. The vet gave her a shot and gave me two additional shots to give her this week to address this problem. The shots should help give her a lot more energy and generally feel better and healthier.

Good news! Schataje has gained ½ pound in the last month! This is significant since she is a small cat. It appears that her new soft-food diet is agreeing with her.

More good news! The vet called on Saturday night to let us know that Schataje’s kidney blood work came back from the lab. Although one type of test showed that Schataje levels are too high, the other test came back in the normal range! This means that Schataje’s fluids therapy is working well and that Schataje is felling better. Schataje is still a very sick kitty, but is happy and comfortable now!

planet of the apes

2006-03-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Today, Keith and I went climbing in Malibu Creek State Park. We started at the Apes Wall, but it was so crowded that we decided to bypass climbing there and head back behind the rock pool to look for some open routes. The Apes Wall is so named because one of the Planet of the Apes movies has a scene filmed in front of it.

In order to reach some open routes, we traversed around the pool to find some not as crowded routes. Traversing around the rock pool was an adventure of its own. We were basically climbing horizontally just inches above a deep and cold pool of water. I was so scared about falling and dropping all of our expensive gear in the water. I made Keith take multiple traverse trips and carry all the gear.
After doing a few climbs behind the pool, we traversed back (again with Keith making multiple trips) and got on the Apes Wall. Then the sun started to set and, cold and tired, we headed back to the car.

A very fun day!

the great garage clean-up

2006-03-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

I am 5 week into the garage clean-up and things are going slowly but well. I have decided to donate all of my VHS tapes to the library and have thrown out a bunch of old clothes that I haven't worn forever. I sorted out some old tools and better organized my camping gear.

It may look worse, but that is only because there are a bunch of empty boxes sitting there now.

LA Clippers

2006-03-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I volunteered at an LA Clippers game for Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times. The event was called “The Shirts off their Backs”. We sold raffle tickets for $1 and at the end of the game, the players stripped off their sweaty jerseys, signed them, and handed them out to the lucky winners (yuck!).

I was a volunteer leader, in charge of motivating and organizing 7 other volunteers. We were assigned to the suite area but had free range to roam the entire staples center. It was cool to be able to wander way up to the fancy boxes and all the way down to the courtside seats (where I spotted Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle).

I discovered that the best selling technique was to approach people in their seats and block them in so that they couldn’t escape my pitch. Even so, I only sold to about 10% of people I approached. Boy, it was tough to get shot down so much, but it was for a good cause.

In all, I sold over 160 tickets! Hurray me!

vocabulary test

2006-03-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

10th grader

Wept: I fell and had a big wept on my leg.
Debt: When I am 18, I will have my own debt card.
Revive: I told my friend a secret because I know that she wouldn't revive me.
Alter: The alter is where people get married.

test

2006-03-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

test

vet

2006-03-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Tala, Schataje, and I visited the vet today.

Schataje:
Schataje has gained ½ pound and is feeling much better in general. She has iron deficient anemia (I know what that is like!) and I got shots to give her at home. The vet would like me to keep giving her the IV fluids. We’ll know how her kidney is doing when the blood tests come back in a few days.

Tala:
Tala got her rattlesnake booster vaccine and got so excited that she pooed on the vet’s floor. How embarrassing (caused a blushing episode)! The vet also cut her toenails, cleaned her ears, and “aspirated” a little weird bump that she had on her chest. She thought that it was great fun.

you know you’ve raised them well when…

2006-03-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was five minutes late to my second period 9th grade class today, a meeting ran late. When I rushed in, I discovered that my 9th graders were sitting quietly around the table, with the table cleared and their books out. They were reading aloud from Fahrenheit 451 (we always start class with me reading aloud to them for 5 minutes). When I came in, they looked up, smiled and continued reading. I was so proud!

wedding dress

2006-03-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here is the dress I seclected for the wedding in April (which is white-tie formal). It may also be used for prom.

Comments PLEASE! Is it formal enough? Will it make my hips look big because of the high waist?

smemory

2006-03-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight while I was cleaning the bathtub with bleach I had a vivid smemory (smell memory) of a book I used to have: Bambi's Fragrant Forest, which is a scratch and sniff book published in 1972. Specifically, I smemeber the page where Bambi was waking up in the wet forest after a rainstorm and you sniff a leaf. Do you remember that Ben? Did anyone else have this book?

erythrophobia

2006-03-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

I blush a lot. I usually blush when I am embarrassed, but for the first time today I blushed because I was mad. I was mad because, 20 minutes into class, my 11th graders had not yet started their assignment: to write a summary of a chapter of Cannery Row.

I dislike blushing. In fact, I hate it. I have erythrophobia, fear of blushing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blushing

what kind of dog are you? TALA

2006-03-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

You're a Labrador Retriever! You're friendly and
always looking for fun, but you aren't too
bright.

What kind of dog are you?

what kind of dog are you? CARRIE

2006-03-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

You're a Chihuahua! You're small and cute, but you
try to make everyone think you're bigger than
you are. You like to bully people, but
you're loyal to one person.

What kind of dog are you?

lazy weekend

2006-03-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

I was so exhausted from Joshua Tree and all that yelling at kids that I needed to have a totally relaxed weekend.

On Saturday, Tala and I tried out the new Culver City Dog Park. It was neat, but has lots of room for improvement. Tala enjoyed meeting some nice new people and sniffing butts with other dogs.

On Sunday, Tala and I slept in late. Then we went to REI and spent a long time looking at books, admiring the Keen Newport H2 (see picture below), and helping Keith pick out a new hydration daypack. Then we went to Beach City Rocks and did some climbing. I have not been climbing in a couple of weeks due to time constraints and was disappointed to discover that in that short time I had lost some muscle strength in my back, bah!

Joshua Tree trip

2006-03-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am back! The trip was both great and difficult. We contracted with an adventure trip company, Boojum, who provided our gear and planned the activities. We broke the students into six groups of 13 students with one ECHS teacher and one Boojum instructor in each group.

We did rock climbing, caving, hiking, and general camping activities (sleeping in tents, campfires, etc.). The activities were great! The cave was especially awesome. We had to crawl in through this little tiny hole that was only big enough to go in sideways and then slide down a four-foot long smooth rock slide and then climb up and over a bunch of boulders and obstacles. Eventually, we got to a neat water pool deep in the cave. It was so cool!

The students were awfully behaved. They were very rude and disrespectful the whole time. They cursed like pirates and threw their trash on the ground. They walked with their shoes in the tents and climbed all over the rocks without helmets on. They interrupted the Boojum staff and made fun of each other while rock climbing (i.e., “You’ll never climb that you fat gorilla”). They are a tough bunch.

Trip highlight: when it snowed on Friday morning and many of the kids had never ever seen snow before

Trip lowlight: Friday morning when it was freezing and so windy that I almost blew away and I couldn’t stop shivering

Best activity: exploring the cave

Worst activity: yelling at naughty students

Most interesting thing learned: Joshua Tree used to lay at the bottom of the ocean

Most painful thing learned: The Golden Choya REALLY hurts if it sticks you in the leg (make sure you click the enlarge the picture for full effect)

See http://cyhayden.net/gallery/JTreeECHS for more pictures!

work

2006-03-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Things have been thoroughly crazy at work recently because of the impending Joshua Tree Trip (I am trip leader), my Sacramento trip, my school’s reaccredidation (which I am on the leadership team for) and regular IEPs and teaching. Despite working 10-12 hour days, I am still not able to get everything done.

In such a climate, I am not surprised that I forgot to pay the rent. I am in a bit of a pickle now. Should I call up the landlord and make some lame excuse (i.e.: “Oh I thought we were paying on the 15th of the month now!!!”), should I just pay now and pretend like it was on time, or should I wait till he says something and then act like, “Oh, you didn’t get it!? I sent it WEEKS ago!!!”?

Oakwilde Campground Hike

2006-03-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I hiked from the Angeles Crest Highway in La Canada to Oakwilde Campgroup along the Arroyo Seco via Paul Little picnic area. It was a pleasant hike with warmish sunny weather. The stream crossing were numerous and a bit difficult and on the way back, we decided to save time by forging the river rather than hopping boulders. Total hike time was about 5 hours. We didn’t spot any snakes, but did see a pack of wild pugs foraging for treats in the chaparral.

Conejo Mountain rock climbing

2006-03-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today, Tala Keith and I went climbing at Mystery Science Theater in the Conejo Mountain area (near Woodland Hills). The rock was hard, pokey, and finger hurting. The climbs were low-rated but difficult and Keith was a little nervous lead climbing (but not as nervous as I was lead belaying).

Tala had a fun day outdoors and has proven herself to be an excellent climbing companion. She patiently waits at the bottom of the rock and watches both climber and belayer with rapt attention. If you call her when you are halfway up a climb (15 or so feet in the air) and tell her “up-up” she even runs around and appears to attempt to comply (unsuccessfully obviously).

The approach was the most strenuous part of the adventure. Although a fire-road gives fairly easy access to the climbs, it was fenced off some time ago after a guy hurt himself up near the rocks. We had to bushwhack our way through the chaparral and up a big old mountain. Hard work!

Disneyland

2006-03-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

I had some old tickets to Disneyland that had to be used by March 20th, so Keith and I went and used them. We picked the perfect day. It was freezing cold (low 50s) and raining. We rode every single “age appropriate” ride in the park (except Star Tours because it makes me sick) and quite a few “non-age appropriate” rides and encountered almost no lines.

Shortest line: Winnie the Pooh (less than 5 seconds)
Longest line: Roger Rabbit’s Cars (25 minutes)
Average wait time: 5 minutes

We got veggie burgers for lunch and I noticed that they also have veggie gumbo in new Orleans square. Three cheers for vegetarian friendly Disney!

We counted throughout the day and noted 24 total product placements throughout the park. Some were quite weird (Brawney’s Big Thunder Park… how are paper-towels related to western-themed railroads?). Boo for Disney selling out.

Carrie’s favorite ride: Splash Mountain (although admittedly, not as fun when it is 50 and raining).
Keith’s favorite ride: Space Mountain
Carrie’s highlight of the day: veggie burgers that Keith conceded were “almost as good as the real thing”
Keith’s highlight of the day: nostalgia

news

2006-02-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Trip:
I am leaving tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM (yikes!) for the California Charter School Conference up in Sacramento. The new dog sitter, Erin, will be watching Tala and the Cats for $20/day. I’ll be back late Thursday night.
Schataje:
Schataje has not been eating too well recently. She decided that she does not like her prescription food, so I have been trying out other new things just to see what she will eat. She likes Tuna and other seafood items. We are heading back to the vet in about 10 days so we’ll see how her blood work is then.
Climbing:
Thanks so generous birthday gift givers I am now richly outfitted in new climbing gear. I have my own rope and 7 of my own quickdraws. I also have some webbing (from Christmas). Keith got 8 quickdraws of his own plus a bunch of webbing and carabineers. Together we now have a complete outdoor climbing set-up and are excited to start climbing outdoors and inviting our friends along (Keith his OC climbing buddies and me my LA climbing buddies).
Summer School
I talked to my principal today and let her know that I am interested in teaching summer school. I volunteered to teach "anything" and she sounded pleased, but I hope she does not interpret that as “calculus”, because that wouldn’t go over well.

hiking

2006-02-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend I hiked to Switzer Falls for the 15th time. I was amazed to discover that the previous 14 trips had been incomplete. In fact, before this weekend I have never actually hiked to Switzer Falls. In the past, I hiked to a sweet little 15 foot waterfall, enjoyed the view and headed back to the trailhead, assuming I had seen the falls. This weekend, the first time, curiosity prompted me to scramble up the rocks behind the 15 foot falls. When I reached the top, I discovered that the trail continued. 1/2 a mile later I was shocked to discover the real Switzer Falls, a breathtaking 50 foot waterfall ending with a large and deep pool surrounded on all sides by high granite walls.

It was a jaw dropping moment, partially because of the beauty of the falls, but mostly due to the shock and surprise with discovering for real what I thought I had discovered long ago.

(above) The Decoy

(below) Switzer Falls

vocabulary test

2006-02-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

9th graders

humble: In school I always see humble bees flying around.
wept: Getting wept when you are in trouble is not a good thing.
pulp: When the shower water is stuck they pulp the water.
blunder: In my house when we make pancakes we use a blunder.

new items

2006-02-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

stress
I have been fairly stressed this week because I have a lot going on at work and have gotten very backlogged with my TV/DVD viewing. Currently, I have one episode of Lost, 8 episodes of Star Trek:DS9, 4 movies, and 3 documentaries waiting to be watched.
red-tape
As many of you know, I am now “highly qualified” in my profession as a full, Level I credentialed teacher. However, it doesn’t end there. Next I have to do Level II and then after that, National Boards. Even though I did Level I at Cal State Long Beach, I have to complete an arduous application process to do Level II at Long Beach. The application process includes submitting two copies of a transcript from each educational institution I have attended (including CSULB). This is something I have already done thrice (when applying to the university, when applying to the Level I credential program and when applying for my credential). Since I have attended seven different higher educational institutions, that means I have submitted a total of 35 transcripts (totaling over $150) to CSULB in less than a year. *sigh*
ouch!
I accidentally poked myself with Schataje’s needle and boy-howdy that hurts. It still hurts now, 15 minutes later. I took a picture of the needle so you all can fully appreciate Schataje’s daily bravery.

excellent climbing day

2006-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

I focused on bouldering today. In fact, I only got on the wall once and that was just to show off to some meat-head guy who was struggling with a 5.9 that he termed “impossible”. I raced up to the hard part and, Keith style, repeatedly and effortlessly performed the “impossible move” while commenting on how easy it is if you “just do it this way”. LOL!

So today I focused on the boulder. Bouldering routes at BCR are labeled like this:

Light green = absurdly easy (I can always do these)

Blue = very easy (I can get these after a few tries)

Brown = easy (I have never finished one of these before)

First I did a few light greens and even one really overhung (think: hanging upside-down) blue. Then I decided to work on a brown. I tried it one, five, ten, twelve times. No luck. Too overhung. Holds are too small. I am too tired.

I decided to give it one last try. I searched my IPOD for some inspirational music and found Cher’s Song for the Lonely (it has inspired thousands of women on Weight Watchers, so why not me?). I cranked up the volume and gave it a last go.

Match start with a nice deep pocket. Right hand up to a little pocket, left to a smallish pinch. Right hand up to a nice pocket. Left hand up to a hand-sized undercling. Feet on tiny chips. Here is the hard part: right hand up to a pinch (see pic), crappy feet, and then puuuuuuuuulllllllll in with the right hand and a big swing up and to the left to a left hand pocket (this is where I fell on the previous 12 times). I got it! But now I am hanging like a monkey with my feet in the air. Swing the feet up onto chips, pull up with the left hand, right hand in a pocket and then left hand to the top of the boulder.

I finished my first V1!

soda

2006-02-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

I don't drink a lot of soda, so when my school banned all sodas on campus last month, I was nonplussed. But inexplicably, now that the ban is in full swing, with detentions being handed out galore to soda drinking student and teachers shaming each other for secretly guzzling the bubbly stuff, I have been craving soda almost everyday. Access is limited, the soda machine was restocked with *blech* juice. I am reduced to sneaking over to the corner store and hiding my Diet Pepsi under my shirt on the way back to the office. This is getting ridiculous. The more unacceptable, the more I crave it. I drank three Diet Pepsis today. This can’t be healthy.

day off

2006-02-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Climbing:
Today was a day off of work. I took a hike on some rocky and rugged coastline in Rancho Palos Verdes that ended with some neat bouldering at the Bird Cave. Later, Jon and I did some climbing at BCR. On Keith’s recommendation, I focused on bouldering and working out my back muscles. I felt proud about finishing a super-overhung bouldering route (even if it was a V0).

Schataje:
Schataje is feeling better everyday. She has enough strength now to complain loudly about her treatments. She is such a good girl though, she sits patiently and submits to them. Also, I found her at the top of the fence today, which is good news because it means that she has the strength to climb up there. She has been trying out some new foods in addition to her prescription cat food: tuna, and starting tomorrow, Pedialyte.

hiking

2006-02-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today Keith, Tala, and I hiked Castro Crest Trail. It is not difficult but was very nice with pretty views and some bouldering (on very crumbly sandstone). The hike started in a recent burn area then descended into a lush canyon bottom before ascending, switch-back style, up a fire-road and then back down to the parking area. Tala had great time. She met a couple of horses and got up close and personal to their droppings (see pictures).

Tala, enjoying some horse poo.

Tala, the amazing climbing pug, at the top of a 5.6.

schataje

2006-02-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Even though Schataje can't get past the patio, she is really enjoying getting to spend her days outdoors. When I get home from work, she hears me with those amazing cat ears and comes inside to greet me and get a kiss before returning to the sun and fresh air outside.

Schataje’s treatment tonight was a little tricky and she only got about 75cc because both Tala and Spencer decided that they wanted to crawl up into my lap too (jealous sibling syndrome). Schataje, repulsed by Tala and annoyed with Spencer bolted away, pulling the needle out and spraying saline everywhere. I guess I’ll have to put the sibs in the bedroom during Schataje’s treatments in the future.

ironic

2006-02-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

How sadly ironic that now that Schataje has what she always wished for, free access to the outdoors, she is too weak to jump over the fence and cannot get any farther than the patio. I can’t leave the patio gate open for fear that Tala would get out (if she ever figured out how to use the dog door that is). Poor Schataje.

I gave Schataje her second treatment today and she sat patiently in my lap for the whole five minutes, purring (I suspect out of nervousness rather than pleasure – who would enjoy having a needle rammed into their neck and 100cc of cold saline pumped in?).

popsicle humor

2006-02-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

How did the soldier fit his tank in the house?

It was a fish tank.

Schataje update:
Sleeping comfortably on top of the microwave (absorbing x-rays as Keith would say).

brave little cat

2006-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

Schataje had her first at-home treatment today and did well. She sat quietly for the whole thing, even though her neck ballooned up like a tennis ball. Afterwards, I rewarded her with her much loved soft food. It was scary having to stick the needle in her and remember how to turn it on and off and put the needle on and everything, but I was determined and I just went for it and did it. Good Schataje.

Reward

Saline

Schataje update

2006-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

Schataje Home from the Hospital

Schataje just got home after spending 24 hours at the vet. While there, she was on fluids and special medicines to help stabilize her kidneys and rebalance her electrolytes. The vet tech taught me how to put the needle in her and make saline go under her skin. For the first month, we have to do 100cc everyday. Hopefully Keith or Jon or someone more mechanically inclined will help me rig up a semi-permanent hook for the fluid bag and line.

Despite all the discomforts of her present situation, Schataje thinks she hit the jackpot because now she has doctor-ordered soft food for every meal, just what she always wanted.

I have also decided to let her have free reign to the outdoors during the daytime (not at night though!). Since she only has a little bit of time left, she should enjoy it. And I am not worried about cars or anything anymore since, well, she only has a little time left anyway. Fortunately, the apartment has a cat door, which she taught herself how to use long ago in the hopes of actually being able to go out through it. Well, wishes come true Schataje, you can go out as much as you want now!

Schataje is happy to be home and promptly hissed at Tala and swatted at Spencer, at least things with her siblings are back to normal.

very bad news

2006-02-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

Last night, Schataje collapsed. I immediately rushed her to the emergency vet, where she spent the night and also is there all day today. Last night, Schataje was in acute renal failure, but today she is stabilized and has been diagnosed with chronic renal failure. The vet thinks that she may have a few months or up to a year left before her kidneys give out completely. She has already lost about 75% of her kidney function.

Tonight when I go to pick her up at the vet, I will learn how to give her Subcutaneous Fluid Therapy at home and we will make plans for her diet and how to make her last few months happy.

the great garage clean-up

2006-02-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

As outlined in a previous post, I am committed to cleaning out my garage to both simplify my life in general and simplify my impending move. Last weekend I started the cleaning.

Start:

Step 1:

schataje worry

2006-02-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Schataje has lost weight, and I am worried about her. She used to have a big round belly that swung comfortably down to her knees. Now she has become quite thin (almost like black cat Jim). Should I take her to the vet?

In other news, Schataje has taken to spending as much time as possible on the roof.

lead climbing

2006-02-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

I really truly led my first climb ever today (a really easy 5.8). Even though it was easy, it was exciting because there was the actual "danger" of being above the clipped rope and the possibility of falling existed (more than a few inches, but of course not more than a few feet). I also did my first lead belay (on a 5.9 even!). With my inexperience, I theoretically could have dropped him to the ground, but he never fell, *whew*!

problem solved

2006-02-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

I called the landlord and he sent over the Rotorooter guy, who was surprised and somewhat disgusted by the water from the sinks draining directly onto the back patio. So apparently this is not normal. It also appears to have had something to do with the strange behavior of the toilet and shower drain. He went onto the patio and stuck a long metal rope into the hole where the water comes out. All sorts of nasty stuff fell out as the rope went in. Then he capped the hole and said that everything should be all cleared up. *sigh of relief*

dog

2006-02-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

My students found this dog and gave it to me. Now what am I going to do with it?

weird plumbing problem: expert advice desperately needed

2006-02-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

I should preface the explanation of this problem with some background about my plumbing in general. Half of the drains in my home (kitchen and bathroom sink) empty directly onto my back patio, inches from the house, in a weird medieval/questionably-legal fashion. The rest of the drains (toilet and shower) exit via pipes, presumably (hopefully) to the more traditional Culver City septic system.

Recently, the traditional drains (toilet and shower) have been behaving strangely. Specifically, in tandem, these drains clog completely and spontaneously (not like after I have just flushed something big down the toilet or accidentally washed a large item down the drain but just at totally random times). During this clogged time, the toilet starts leaking from the base and floods the bathroom floor (yuck!). By the way, the plunger does not help. Then, after a bit, loud noises start coming from under the house. Kind of rumbling noises accompanied by a slight shaking feeling, like a minor earthquake. Then both toilet and tub give a great gargling sound, some water shoots into the air, and the clogs are spontaneously fixed and the standing water quickly rushes away.

I am actually really worried about this. What should I do?

vocabulary

2006-02-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

10th graders produce sentences for their vocabulary words:

1. indulgence: My favorite meatloaf is indulgence.
2. xenophobic: I am xenophobic against Jamaicans.
3. avoid: I avoid myself because I was going to get in a fight.
4. pulp: Man your pulp is very big, what were you doing?

hives

2006-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

This morning my hives have been particularly bad. In fact, my body at the moment is like one giant hive, red and itchy. The reason that my hives are so bad is because I got kicked out of my classroom for CAHSEE testing and am forced to teach at the picnic tables. The temperature at the picnic tables does not agree with my cold urticaria.

problems

2006-02-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Problem: My hot water heater now only produces enough hot water for a 10 minute shower
Resolution: I will face my fears and call the landlord to complain

Problem: My new IPOD Video does not accept normal video files and I don't want to pay to buy video conversion software
Resolution: I will ask Keith if he can illegally download me the necessary software

Problem: My life feels cluttered
Resolution: I will clean out one box in the garage every weekend until the clutter is abolished

Problem: My phone falls apart every time I try to use it
Resolution: I will get some duct-tape

Problem: Tala smells
Resolution: bathe Tala (produces new problem - no hot water left for me)

It's here!!!

2006-02-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

I got my new IPOD Video today! It is BEU-TEE-FUL!!! It looks just like a little colored computer. OMG, it is so much better than the old Rio. Yuck!

current interests

2006-02-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

currently watching: Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Season 1
currently reading: Flash Jackson by William Kowalski (which is not very good so don't bother with it)
currently listening to: nothing (MP3 player is dead)
currently downloading: The Ali G Show

Beauty and the Geek

2006-02-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

I watched my first ever episode of Beauty and the Geek today. It was surprisingly amusing. The premise of the show is something like this: gather up some supposedly attractive but stupid women and some supposedly socially inept but academically successful men, put them in a house, engage them in amusing flirtation-inducing challenges and see what happens. There is also some sort of elimination thing, but not sure how that works.

This show prompted me to ask myself the following:
1. Why is the successful computer programmer desperate to date the uneducated cocktail waitress?
2. Why does the hairy Indian MIT graduate allow them to wax his chest (Ben do you know this guy? He is now a grad student at Berkeley.)
3. Why was the Asian geek eliminated the first week (aren't Asian geeks the supreme geeks?)
4. Why is it so geekily impressive that Chris (at age 22) has only kissed one girl? I know some geeks who could pulverize that record (i.e.: in mid-20s and have kissed zero girls).

Incidentally, I took the official “Beauty and the Geek Quiz: How Geeky Are You?” and scored You're Very Geeky.

New Responsibilities

2006-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

I was recently drafted as the coordinator of the BIG 10th grade trip. I now responsible for coordinating a three-day rock-climbing/camping/hiking trip for 100 15-year olds. My first responsibilities include pitching the trip to students and collecting permission trips. I am super-excited!

Low Fat Purina

2006-02-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

Tala is testing out a new dog food (Low fat Purina Dog Chow) which is considerably cheaper than her old food (Low fat Science Diet Dog Chow).

She does not like it. The first time she ate it, she promptly vomited it all up (on the bed, the living room floor, and the path in front of the house). Thereafter, she refused to so much as nibble it for the next two meals. Hunger drove her to sample it again tonight. Tala has discovered that she can remove certain unsavory chunks and discard them on the floor.

Schataje, on the other hand, loves this new food. She has all but abandoned her own food (Low fat Science Diet Cat Chow) in favor of Tala's new food. Now that Tala is eating from her bowl again, Schataje is reduced to cleaning up Tala's rejected kibble.

IPOD Video

2006-01-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

Item: 30 gig IPOD Video
Cost: $300
Store: Amazon.com
Delivery: 7-10 days (super saver free shipping)

I can't wait. But I am still mad about the Rio.