Gotta get crackin'

Yes, dear bloghorts, I have neglected you! Sorry!

I've been having fun and working hard, settling into lesson planning and grading. I think that once I get everything started and set up, it will be easier for me, but right now, I've had to set up spreadsheets to track grades, so I've had to enter all the names and enter all the assignments that have been turned in thus far, and it's been tedious. It should be better from now on, though.

I have even planned my first few days (can't get any farther than that, though, until I touch base with my fellow Science 8 teachers and get some info on what they'll be doing in their classes). We're studying the scientific method and scientific measurements this week.

Friday night was Book Club, and we watched a movie version of Hamlet, to correspond with having read Prince Caspian and Hamlet the past few weeks. I had intended to rent and watch the 1948 Laurence Olivier version: it's an Academy Award-winning classic, after all. However, it turns out that there is not a single Blockbuster or Hollywood Video in Visalia that stocks that version. We had to make do with a modernised 2000 version, made with Ethan Hawke in the title role. Hmm, not what I had in mind, but it served its purpose. I guess I still can't get over the fact, though, that no movie rental place in the whole city had a section devoted to classics or Oscar winners, but had at least 50 copies of Poseidon or Benchwarmers.

Saturday, Jeff and I were both exhausted, so we had a lazy movie day. We watched Date Movie and Scary Movie 4 (I would not recommend either movie), Corpse Bride (Blah), and Rent (Meh). As you may have guessed, none of those movies were chosen by me.

Today, we went to church, then Jeff worked on his thesis and worked on lesson plans. We watched a few episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (we're falling behind with Netflix!) while I prepped Bible study, then we went to Bible study. Acts 8.

Now, it's time to: print things out, get everything together so that I can just grab stuff and run out the door in the morning, and fall into bed.

To: Marguerite Gautier

Cc: Mimi, Satine, Violetta Valery

RE: Consumption

Ladies,

I regret to inform you that I will NOT be joining your august assembly. I have been tested for tuberculosis and been determined to be TB-negative. These are circumstances most fortunate, I having been provided with BCG vaccination as a small child, and thus having the distinct possibility of testing TB-positive, due to the antibodies being already present in my system (yet another of the oft-hidden pitfalls of a third-world upbringing). I was actually pretty stressed about it, as a positive test would have necessitated a chest x-ray and all sorts of nonsense, despite my documentation of medical history and vaccinations.

At any rate, please enjoy your dubious immortality with the wasting disease.

Sincerely yours,
Kiti Fantastico Feely

It's real

Or at least, I think it's real.

I finished up my paperwork today.

I went to my school and met with some of the administrative staff, and saw some of the campus.

I looked at my classroom (A104) and got the key. I received a teacher's handbook. I got a school lanyard for my official school badge. I picked up my textbook and some other stuff, and brought them home to look over. I'll meet with the science department head tomorrow to discuss curriculum and standards and lesson plans and other fun stuff.

I'm meeting my students tomorrow, and will be going through the day with the current sub, so as to have a helper to answer questions, etc., on my first day.

I am SO EXCITED. No joke.

By the way, I have not altered my stance on public education, but this [failing] socialist burden is not going away any time soon (I'm sorry to say), and as a taxpayer, don't you rest more easily knowing that I make it my job to let at least some fraction of your tax money do its job? Because ultimately, I don't really work for the school district. Ultimately, I (along with the entire school district) work for YOU, the taxpayers who are being forced to subsidize the education of other people's brats. Be assured that I consider myself accountable.

What a difference a day makes;

Or, [Mama]’s got a brand new [job]

Well, despite the fact that one of my greatest fears is that I’ll become utterly uninteresting, life with me usually ends up being anything but boring.
Case in point: On Friday, I got a new job and quit my old one!

There are a lot of things that went on recently that influenced my decision, but the bottom line is that on Thursday, due to unforeseen circumstances, I made a choice to switch gears and begin on the path that will lead me to my dream: being a college professor! It's a long path, but it will be worth it. Anyway, here's to the start of my teaching career, as a science teacher for a middle school. I interviewed on last Thursday night, was offered the job on Friday, went through orientation and signed a contract Saturday, and am now just waiting for some bureacratic hoops to be jumped (in particular, completion of my TB skin test). School began yesterday, so they are pretty desperate, but I say, if they knew they had vacancies, they should have worked a little harder to fill them before three days prior to the start of the school year. Ah, well, things should be operational on Thursday or so.

My employers were hardly thrilled at my decision, but I signed an "at-will employment" agreement when I was hired, so I was perfectly within my rights to just walk out, if I so desired. And I did. I had no animosity toward my employers, but it just was not where I wanted to be. Now, I just have to ensure that I can attain proper closure, i.e. getting paid properly for all my hours on my final paycheck. *sigh*

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the great Maureen O'Hara!

Tujuh belas Agustus

Yes, indeed! And that means that Republik Indonesia is 61 years of age.

This is of some importance to a Papuan-Indonesian-American person, such as myself.

So Excited!

I have been welcomed into the College of the Sequoias Master Chorale! I'm so excited to be singing again.

It is not really very hard to get into the chorale, but you really have to know what you're doing once you're there, as we began sight-singing rather difficult music (Bach, "Magnificat"; Mozart, "Regina Coeli"), right off the bat. I get the sense that people who can't actually hack it get washed out very quickly.

You all deserve photos from the wedding, as well as a full report.
But you'll have to wait for them.

I've had a busy productive day, involving 8 hours of work, 3 loads of laundry, 4 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, and some practicing of instruments.

Belated, but...

Happy birthday, Fidel Castro!

And Alfred Hitchcock.

And me.

August 13.

All aboard!

And now, I am going to hop in my car and head down south to enjoy Sherida's wedding!

Anniversary

Jeff and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. I had a wonderful evening with my hubby. But more about that, later.

Good times

Jeff and I had a busy weekend. Saturday, I worked on scrapbooking projects with Debbie and went to the library book sale. Then Jeff and I went to the gym (I exercised quite hard) and joined the all the Feelys for dinner at Little Italy. It was ostensibly a birthday celebration for me, and everyone was very nice.

Sunday, Jeff and I went up to Fresno to celebrate our anniversary. Can you believe it has been 4 years? I appreciate my husband so much! We've both done a lot of growing in the past few years, and I haven't been this happy in more than 16 years. Being me, I'm waiting for something horrible to happen, since happiness obviously cannot possibly last, but I'm also trying to enjoy it right now. As a habitually reticent person, I don't care to share much of my feelings, so that is all I'll say right now.

Aw, how sad:
MTV Curse Meets the Barkers.

And I thought these two crazy kids just might make it. But when the drummer from Blink-182 (who makes Lydia the Tattooed Lady look like an amateur) marries a Playboy Playmate (whose exes include Oscar de la Hoya and Dennis Quaid), lollipops and roses are too much to expect, I guess.

Blink-182. *sigh*

Following up on my paragraph about Dan: I didn't mean to give Mia short shrift on July 31, but when I posted, I was really tired and couldn't think of much to say.

Mia's birth is something that I remember very clearly. Mulia, Irian Jaya, Indonesia - Dan, Mike, and I were so excited to have a baby sister! She really was a beautiful baby, and fortunately, she stayed beautiful. Mia is a sibling that has occasionally been a challenge for me; Not only do we not always see eye-to-eye, but we often seem to be existing on different planets! We're growing closer as we get older. Still, I never let her forget who's older and really in charge, and she never lets me forget who's The Princess... But seriously, I've been so proud of her growth as a Christian and as an intellect, in the past few years. She went to college, developed an interest in history, archaeology, and science (three of my pet passions), and suddenly we have SO MUCH to talk about. But I would have been equally proud, had Mia chosen to do something else entirely with her life, because she's becoming her own person and doing a great job of it.
Mia, please don't have kids any time soon, because I don't know how I'd handle my Baby having a baby.

Happy Days

Today is the birthday of my Kakak Dan! Dan is the person, together with my parents, that I have actually known my entire life. That is many, many years of knowing each other. We don't always agree on things, which just goes to make life more interesting, but we always have each others' backs. Some of my best memories of life with Dan include that time in Meyokda that he cut my hair (end result: disaster), that other time in Meyokda that he got me lost in the jungle (end result: disaster averted), all those years of boarding school (end result: well, we are both well enough educated to have masters degrees), and our occasional theatre work (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Virtue is Her Own Reward, at Sentani, and The Promise at Cedar Mill Bible Church--Dan portrayed Satan, and very well!). He followed me to college, and then grad school, and it was a very sweet time in December when we both graduated with degrees from Talbot.
Today, Dan is 31, and a very accomplished scholar, theologian, and minister, not to mention officer in the US Army.

In other news, Sara and Jeremy left for Africa today. I wish them good luck and much health as they seek the LORD's will, exploring possible locations for their future ministry with Wycliffe. I'm so envious! It may sound crazy, but sometimes, I really miss living in a third world country. =(

So... tired...

Yes, I really am tired. Work has been taking a lot out of me. Jeff has been working a lot, too.

I can't think of anything interesting to write.

Checking in

Things are going fine with Bible study, book club, etc.
I need more than 24 hours in a day.

My brother is getting married.

It is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mia!!