January 31, 2008 by samantha.

My Nana is in the hospital. The doctors think that she has the flu, but she also has a heart murmur. So on Friday, she will be having all sorts of tests to try to figure out what is wrong with her and to see if there is any damage to her heart. I am not going to lie… I am scared. So if you have a moment today, please say a little prayer for her. When I learn more, I will let you know.

Posted in Family, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 27, 2008 by samantha.

I think this is the first time in what seems like forever that I have had a lazy weekend. I did not do much. Yesterday I ran around, but today I mostly stayed home and tried to stay dry. We had some strong storms today and a lot of rain. As everyone knows, I love the rain and I am so happy that we are finally getting some here. I think the rain is done for a while, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be back soon.

Getting back to my lazy Sunday. It was wonderful. I read, did some schoolwork, and watched CNN Presents: God’s Warriors. I have had it Tivoed since the summer and never got around to watching it. It was very interesting. It talks about the three major religions and covers the history, wars, and fanatics of each one. I find religion fascinating and would have loved to major in it. I just do not know what I would have done with a religion major! I do not know if CNN will show the series again, but I highly recommend it. It clears up a lot of misconceptions and gives an excellent explanation of each religion.

I started to read the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini last night. I am only about 50 or so pages in, but I am really enjoying it so far. I want to take my time reading it. I have heard so much about the book, but was never attracted to it. Finally, after the millionth recommendation, I picked it. I am so glad that I did. It takes place in Afghanistan and follows the lives of two boys. One boy is from a wealthy family and the other boy is the son of a servant. The boys form a strong friendship. The book follows the evolution of the two boys friendship as they grow up and learn that they are not equal. The novel sounds like a bit of a downer, but so far I am really enjoying it. And there is a movie out based on the book. I cannot wait to see it!

By the way, I looked up Tivoed in the dictionary. Tivo is in the dictionary, but Tivoed is not. Oh well! We all know that I am not a good speller!!!

Posted in School, California, Weekends, Books, Rants | No Comments »

January 26, 2008 by samantha.

I cannot decide it I like the new look. I was ready for something different. Maybe I am ready for Spring. Who knows. All I know is that I was ready for a change and that change is good!

So far my weekend has been great. I spent the day with friends talking about books, school, jewelry, politics, and everything else. As crazy as the day was, it was relaxing. It felt like forever since I just hung out with friends and talked about nothing in particular. I love being with friends and just talking. I think back to the day’s conversations and none of them stick out. As a matter of fact, we had so many different topics of conversation that I cannot remember most of them.

But that is what makes spending time with a good group of friends so much fun. I think that is one thing that has been missing in my life for awhile. I have not had a good group of friends like this in such a long time. Until recently, I always was a little guarded with my friends. I felt like I needed to be careful of what I said. With this current group of friends, I feel like I can let my hair down and be myself. I never realized how much I missed that until tonight.

Unfortunately, I woke up this morning and Val was sick. Nothing horrible, but enough to make me worry. Val skipped breakfast and I think that it helped her stomach settle. When I got home, I made her some rice with chicken broth. Hopefully the bug has run its course. I have noticed with Val that she has not been herself. I know that I am giving Val human attributes, I think that she is a little depressed and lonely. To me this makes sense. Val had the puppy for a couple of months and then my parents were here. Now she is back to being all alone. So on Monday, she is going to spend the day at a friend’s house. She will have two dogs play with and will not be stuck all alone in the backyard!

Now my lazy Saturday is coming to an end. I am such a wild child! I was home 8:30 and that makes happy! I have a good book calling my name and I am anxious to get to bed. Call me crazy!!!!

Posted in California, Val, Weekends, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 22, 2008 by samantha.

Every time that I tell people I am a teacher, I hear one of two responses:

1. Wow! How do you do it?
2. Well, we need some good teachers in this country.

It has come to the point that I sometimes do not want to tell people what I do. I love teaching. I look forward to every day. I think that I have the best job in the world. I will never say that it is easy or that the pay is great, but I wake up every morning eager to face the day. Education and teaching have gotten a bad rap in this country. And I could step up on my soapbox and preach my cause. I will try my best not to do just that. I will say that something needs to be done. I am tired of the critics that have the solutions. I am tired of the politicians that think they can solve the problem. I am sick of nothing being done to alleviate the issue.

Thankfully, I came across this article that took a little bit of the weight of my shoulders and put a smile on my face. It is nice to know that some people out there appreciate teachers and can recognize that many teachers are doing a phenomenal job. But as is usually the case, the bad are always recognized and that causes the good to be forgotten.

Okay, I put one foot on the soapbox. It had to be dusted off!! It has been awhile since I stepped on it! It felt neglected. And when have you ever known me to keep my opinions to myself???

Posted in School, Rants | No Comments »

January 21, 2008 by samantha.

The fun never ends in my neck of the woods! This weekend I finally got my new sliding door! It is beautiful!!! I cannot believe what a difference it makes. The old one was UGLY! I tried cleaning it a few times and it was beyond help.

So on Saturday morning I woke up early and went to Lowe’s to pick up my new sliding door. I rented a truck ($20 for 75 minutes!) and drove the door to it’s new home. The truck was fun to drive, but it is not something I would like to drive every day. I was so afraid that I was going to run over someone and never know it!

The men (my uncle and a friend) arrived to put the door in. The door was supposed to slide in over the old frame. Of course, that was not the case. The two-hour job turned into an all day job. The old frame had to be taken out, expandable foam was needed, and then a new frame was put in. And was it worth the wait!! I love my new door!!!

I decided to let the new door get acclimated to his new house, so I went to San Diego for the weekend. It was nice to spend some time with my grandmother. We played a mean game of Monopoly and I look forward to taking my revenge. Saturday was dedicated to football. We made pizza, ate chips, and yelled at the TV. I am disappointed that the Patriots won. I am not surprised, but I am not happy about it. I was very happy that the Giants won. Why does it make such a big deal to me? Who knows!! I have no loyalties to any team. My likes and dislikes for each team are complicated and probably make no sense! Not that it matters! I had fun and I look forward to the Super Bowl.

Posted in House, Weekends, Family | No Comments »

January 17, 2008 by samantha.

For once I am not the only weird kid on the block. Children around the world agree with me!!!

Posted in Rants | 1 Comment »

January 15, 2008 by samantha.

What a way to start off the New Year. I just got back from San Francisco. It was fantastic. We did a lot of fun things- took the ferry to Sausalito, went on a tour of the city in a double-decker bus, hung out of a cable car, and ate too much good food! As seems to be the case, it was so hard to leave. I am already making plans to go back.

But I am ready to get back to work. This month is a hectic one. I complain about the stress, but I do enjoy it. I like to be busy. I like knowing that I have a full day ahead of me. Of course I say all this while I am well rested. Ask me in a week. Let’s see if I am still as eager to face the stress!!!

When I get the chance, I will post some pictures of the my recent San Francisco trip. This weekend I am getting my new sliding door installed! I am very excited about that. And it is a three-day weekend! Maybe I will spend the weekend starring at my new door and reminiscing about my trip. Got any better ideas?

Posted in Weekends, Travels, Rants | No Comments »

January 5, 2008 by samantha.

Last night, a few friends and I braved the weather and went to Palm Springs. We had been invited to attend an outdoor sing along of Hairspray. It was the first outdoor screening for the Palm Springs International Film Festival and it was obvious. The event was poorly planned and left much to be deserved. Still, we made the most of the chaos. When the movie finally started, we were disappointed to find out that the whole movie was not going to be shown. Instead, they only showed the parts of the movie that we could sing along to. We decided to leave and go out to eat. We found a local sushi bar that was warm and delicious. Afterwards, we went to a local yogurt place for desert. The place is called CactusBerry and was yummy. I had swirled vanilla and chocolate with kiwis, strawberries, and raspberries on top. It was a nice way to end an interesting night.

Today, I took the day easy. I ran some errands, bought a new toaster oven, finished my book, started a new book, and enjoyed having my house back to myself. The first rainstorm came through today and was more of a yawn than anything else. I was disappointed, but I expected it to be what it was. Maybe tonight’s storm will be better.

My most exciting news is that next week at this time I will be back in San Francisco! I am so excited!!!! I have no idea of what we are going to do, but I am sure we will figure something out!

Posted in California, Weekends, Movies, Rants | No Comments »

January 3, 2008 by samantha.

DISCLAIMER: If you are my mom or dad, please do not read the rest of this entry.
You have been warned!

They are gone! Freedom rings across the land!! The parental units have not only fled my house, they have left the state. I dropped them off at the airport and went out to lunch to celebrate. When I came home I tried to put my house together and enjoyed making it mine again. I was able to watch whatever I wanted to on TV, read a book on my couch, and had no one disturbing my peace. Even dinner was enjoyable. It is so nice to be parent free.

Now do not get me wrong. I loved having my parents come out for the holidays. And they really are easy guests to have. I never feel like I have to entertain them and they let me do my own thing when I need time away. But you know how I am about my routines. Everything was turned upside down the whole time they were here. And I did I mention they were here for 6 weeks????? We all love our parents, but there is a reason why we do not live with them anymore.

Totally off topic, but I will end on this note. If you have not seen Juno, run out and see it now! It was hilarious! I loved it. It is not often that a movie can make me laugh out loud, but Juno did many times. Usually I do not care for indie flicks, but this one was different.

Posted in Movies, Family, Rants | 2 Comments »

January 2, 2008 by samantha.

I once heard that Southern California has no weather. Every day it is sunny without a cloud in the sky. And as much as this is the case, it is not always true. For instance, we are about to experience the worst storm since the 90’s. We are predicted to have strong winds, heavy rain, and chaos & pandemonium. I am so excited!!! I miss the rain and all the madness that goes with it. I will admit that Californians do not know how to drive in the rain, so I opt to stay off the streets. I usually bunker down with a bunch of rented movies and order a pizza. I would rather play it safe than sorry.

Unfortunately, rain is not such a great thing for Southern California. Do not get me wrong! We are in desperate need of rain. California is in a continuous drought. Even when we have a wet year, we are still praying for rain. But what I have noticed is that whenever we have a horrible fire season, it is followed by a wet winter. It sounds great since the rain will help to revitalize the burned areas, but instead we are hit with destructive mudslides. We have no rain or fires for a few years and then we are in a constant state of emergency for a year.

So what is the answer? I have my opinions. I have my solutions that will be controversial and many will disagree with. But right now, I am going to try to stay dry.

Posted in California, Fires, Rants | No Comments »