August 28, 2007 by samantha.

The first week of school has come to an end and I feel like it lasted a decade! My classes are overcrowded, my room is unorganized, the Science books have yet to arrive, and that is just the beginning. On the bright side, I have a great group of kids. My sixth graders are very immature and will need some handholding. It is such a change from my kids last year. As for my seventh graders, they are ready to graduate from high school! Still, it is not going to be a boring year. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will get a new sixth grade teacher soon. 41 students in one class is way too many!

I just finished Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It was fantastic! Jodi never disappoints!! Her books are a bit predictable. She always has a twist at the end. Usually I can figure out the twist, but this time I was blindsided. I never saw it coming! Nineteen Minutes was one of those books that I could wait to pick up and read. I would come home from work and immediately start reading. I am so happy that I am out of my reading funk. It really bothered me. Now I have to find a book that keeps me funk-free!!

Val was happy that I was reading again. She curls up with me on my bed while I read. It is our nightly ritual. I do not know how we are going to handle this routine with the new puppy. I only have two hands. One hand holds the book, the other pets Val. I guess I could pet the dog with my foot. Anyone have any ideas? The puppy should be coming soon. I predict she will be here in two weeks or so. I am so excited. Val and I are enjoying our last few days of freedom as a twosome. We are heading down to San Diego this weekend and hopefully hit the dog beach. The dog beach is so much fun. Tons of dogs, running around, and having a great time. Sometimes, I think I have more fun than Val!

Posted in Val, Books, Rants | 2 Comments »

August 26, 2007 by samantha.

Ever have one of those weekends when you did everything, but you feel like you did not accomplish a thing? That is how mine felt. I was running around like a mad woman and was able to cross every task off my list. I even had time to sit down and read my book. But still I feel like I have a million things to do. Maybe it is due to the fact that school has started and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am doing my best to get myself organized, but I feel like I am getting nowhere. It is an uneasy feeling. I do not like it!

The highlight of my weekend was watching the Daily Show’s coverage from Iraq. I was rolling on the floor laughing. How someone can put a comical spin on Iraq seems impossible. But the Daily Show has done it. This show never fails me. I love it! Every time I watch it, I laugh. The news is depressing, but Jon Stewart makes it bearable. In case you have not figured it out, this blog’s title came from the show.

I did see The Nanny Diaries. It was cute. Nothing spectacular. I am not a fan of Scarlett Johansson, but she was good in the role. The movie was entertaining. It was one of the few books that I had not read. But now I would like too. Maybe I’ll read it over Labor Day weekend. Of course, I hope to be too busy with a new puppy…

Posted in Weekends, Movies, Rants | 2 Comments »

August 17, 2007 by samantha.

Every week or so, I get this e-newsletter about pets. It usually has some good articles and never disappoints with the pictures. Today, when I got home from school I about fell out of my seat laughing. The first article was asking if pets should get married. I thought that was hilarious! To be honest, I never really thought about it! But now that I do, shouldn’t this be the topic of debates for the presidential hopefuls? If we allow dogs to marry, then what will happen to our family values? What will prevent dogs and cats from marrying each other?

Do you see where I am going with this? It sounds just as ridiculous with animals as it does people. Who are we to say who can and cannot get married? I know that I am getting a little too politic here, but deal with it! Who gets to decide what makes someone happy. I think that if you find that one person that makes you happy, you should be able to spend the rest of your life with them. If you want to get married, then go for it! Everyone deserves to be happy!

Now if cat and mice start to marry, that is just sick. You have to draw the line somewhere! For me, it falls in the same category as dressing up your dog or shaving your cat.

Posted in Rants | 1 Comment »

August 16, 2007 by samantha.

I have not read a book in probably a month. This disturbs me like you would not believe. Usually I read at least two books in a month. I am just having a hard time getting into a book. I have started many books and given up. Even the latest Harry Potter does not appeal to me. I want to get back into reading, so I am taking it slow. Maybe getting back into the groove of school will help. Today I started Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. In the past, this author has not let me down. I am about 30 pages in I think I am going to do okay. I am taking it slow. I do not feel the need to continue ready it, as of yet. But I am not ready to give up. I know a lot of people have read the book and enjoyed it. Keep your fingers crossed!

Posted in Books, Rants | 4 Comments »

August 15, 2007 by samantha.

For those of you who do not know, I get to have delivered right into my house.  I have a mail slot in the front door.  At times I love the idea of it.  I never have to stop my mail when I go away.  I do not have to walk down the street to get my mail.  When it is 100 degrees out here, I do not have to fry walking to the mailbox.  Little things, but they make the mail slot worth it.

Val has never cared for the mail slot.  Every day, she sees the mailman coming up the driveway and is on the attack.  When the mail comes through the slot, Val makes sure to check each piece for inappropriate material.  And I can say that thanks to Val, the mailman has never attacked me.

Well, I guess the other day the mailman tried to get in.  Thank goodness Val was here to protect the house.  The mail slot on the other hand, has seen much better days.

Posted in Rants | 3 Comments »

August 8, 2007 by samantha.

Is it sad that I am so ready that this summer is coming to an end and that I am ready to get back into my school routine?  I have about ten more days of freedom, but I think I will be spending them getting ready for the coming school year.  I still do not know what I will be teaching, so I will be scrambling to plan at the last minute.  I hate to plan last minute.  I did move rooms again.  I think I am staying in this room for a while.  It is a good one.  It has a skylight!  Fancy!!

Over all this summer was not a bad one.  I did a little traveling, painted my house, fixed up the front yard a bit, and bought a new TV.  I had some guests stay with me and realized that I have some great friends.  Still, I am ready to get back to work.  I laugh while I write that.  Give me a month or two and I will be complaining about work.  I will be longing for my summer break!

As a matter of fact, I am already planning my next vacation.  I will probably be in Florida for Christmas and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will make it to France very soon.  So far, my end of the school year trip will be spent in Boston and I am trying to find something different to do for my Spring Break.  I am looking at something wild like Costa Rica.  I just like to travel.  I would love to go back to San Francisco.  I think I did leave my heart there.

As I babble, I cannot understand people who have no desire to travel.  I have so many places that I want to see and I am afraid that I will never get to even half of them.  I even like exploring the places around here.  I do not like many of them, but still it is fun to go to new places.  Maybe that is why I enjoy reading so much.  Every time I read a book, I am in a completely different place.  There…. that was my deep thought for the day!

Posted in Travels, Rants | 1 Comment »

August 1, 2007 by samantha.

I would love to share with you all something interesting and enlightening, but I cannot.  I am spending my week at the most boring workshop ever.  It is all the way in Indio (which is next door to Hell) and it is HOT!  To make matters worse, the air conditioning is not working in our conference room.  I am not learning much of anything and I am not happy.  The one little silver lining is that I did not pay for this workshop.  I guess that is a good thing.

I did discover this website that never fails to put a smile on my face.  Cats That Look Like Hitler is hilarious!  I will never look at cats the same way.  Why is this site so funny to me?  Because I am a sick puppy!  Shocked?

Posted in Rants | 2 Comments »