I hate computers! I was just finishing up my post when the stupid computer decided to rebute itself and I lost it all!

Ginny - Lucky you for the productive shopping trip. I hate shopping but if I am successful it makes the pain worth it. Keep plugging away at what you are doing. That is a VERY minimal weight gain and probably a combination of water weight and new muscle mass. I was bad and missed my meeting yesterday. I was planning on going but lost track of time. Next thing I knew it was 10 minutes past when I should have left. I could have still made it but I would have arrived just as the meeting started and I hate that.

Robyn - Thanks for the Evanovich info. I was afraid of that when I saw a book with six in the title and another with 8. Unfortunately our little library didn't have the rest. I'll have to order them through the library network but that won't help me for this camping trip. I totally understand your stress of being the mother of a special needs child. That is what I dread most about going back to school, is having to deal with my DS's homework everynight. Do you mind my asking what your DS's disability area is? Mine is autistic. He is pretty high functioning socially but he really struggles academically due to a below average IQ. This year they even put him into Categorical math because our resource rooms only teach algebra (like you use that for anything in real life!) I have been trying to get a practical math course for our lower students but no one seems concerned but me. Maybe it is time I put on my Mom hat and throw a hissy fit! Good luck with your WI tomorrow.

Pam - So did you find your Killer Kermit yet? No wonder he is so big, he has been eating well this summer!

I am a bit stressed today. As I have mentioned my ex hasn't picked up his children in almost a year. He hasn't even called or tried to contact them. Then three weeks or so ago he sent a calling card with a note that said to call if they wanted to come over. Yesterday my DS decided he wanted to go. He called and got an answering machine. He left a message that he wanted to come over and to call back. The poor thing sat by the phone all night. His father still hasn't called. As I mentioned he is AI so he obsesses over things. Every few minutes he ask a question like "why hasn't he called, do you think he will come, what do you think he is doing, etc..." 5:00 is the scheduled pick up time but he isn't usually prompt so we end up staring out the window for an hour or more before we decide he isn't coming. It could be a very long day! Plus since he has grown about a foot and a half since he was there last, he needs to pack a bag of clothes. My DS is refusing to do this. I think it is because that makes the rejection so much worse if it happens. My DD refuses to go even if he does show. I try to encourage her to try it but I can't hardly blame her for not wanting to go. Not only are they the bottom of his priority list but they put them through all kinds of mental abuse while they are there. It has actually been nice not having this stress for the past year. So here I am torn between wanting him to come for my DS not to feel rejected and not wanting him to come for what will happen while he is there. I guess I need to think of an activity to keep us all preoccupied until we need to worry.

Sue

Hey Pam. Smarty pants!
Hey Pam. Smarty pants!
I deleted the double post...so hush with your de ja vu!
I had no idea that it posted twice...let alone once... I could never see it!
Mannnn, I must have been online right at the wrong time (the forums went down yesterday!) I nearly went crazy trying to post my message...that was so long that I actually wrote it offline and then cut and pasted! I actually tried 4 times to post it...so you are lucky that you didn't get to hear...
Hey Pam. Smarty pants!
Hey Pam. Smarty pants!
Hey Pam. Smarty pants!
Hey Pam. Smarty pants!


I'll be back.... gotta go see why the kiddo who is supposed to be cleaning
is now playing video games! I am considering buying a cattle prod! Could be useful at school too! JUST kidding! Do NOT send me horrible mail about how BAD I am!

take care,
meeee

Sue- hugs to you, my friend. So sorry for you and your children that your ex is such an unreliable sort. Guess that is why he is an "ex". Hope you found something fun to do for everyone, so that you could all enjoy each others company and maybe relax and forget. As far as WW goes....so you get there next week!!! Keep your chin up!

Robyn- honey, you make me howl! You are not bad......just a total riot! (can I be a fly on the wall in your class, please??)

Anyway. No walk today. too darned hot and I deserve a day off, I think. Errands and Dd's last day of soccer.....Dh and I might sneak out to a movie tonite. Rare occurance that it is. Hopefully my husband will come home tonight instead of the Loch Ness Monster/Godzilla/Attila the Hun/Napoleon combination that came home last nite.
Believe me......it was not pretty. Glad I had Scarpetta to hide with.
See ya later!
Ginny

Evening everybody.

Sue: I am so sorry... My father was very similar growing up, except that his was more the mental verbal stuff. I'm not going to go into it, its not a story anybody wants to hear.
Robyn: I don't think you answered me. You were supposed to PM me right before you had the death in your family, and that was the last I heard from you. Any idea if that note you wrote was before or after?
Ginny: Did your husband loan his costume to anybody I know?
You see... speaking of not pretty... I met my new principal today. Absolutely INFLEXIBLE. I cannot go to the camp... and I cannot make up the time for the Jewish holidays (which means they come out of my sick leave or personal days, at her choice), and I cannot leave early to go to graduate classes because the CONTRACT HOURS are from suchandso to soandsuch. Lord help me. I think somebody is telling me that I shouldn't be a teacher anymore or that I shouldn't go to graduate school, or something. I'm not sure which. My mother is absolutely horrified: remember, I'm the 3rd generation of my family in this country, and the first to go to college. It'll really hurt her if I don't finish that doctorate! Am I wrong when I think the principal was being snotty when she said, "My other teachers who go to graduate school picked a shcool that was local and they could get to easily."
I don't know what to do... at all... I'm so confused! My mother wants me to go to camp (she refuses to give Imp back to me until I go!), and tell the county to shove their job and their letter of intent where the sun doesn't shine. But I'm afraid to do that because then I don't have a job at all! You girls have any ideas???? I could really use a swim, but I don't feel like dealing with the new gym and having to ask a manager right now... so I came home.
Right now I would happily wish horrible traffic accidents on the people from my old school! I wouldn't be in this position now if not for that lying team leader.

Robyn- What do you mean you were kidding about the cattle prod. I was so excited that perhaps we could get a group discount. I was thinking perhaps one for home and one for school so I wouldn't have to carry it back and fourth! I have often thought that students desk should each be hooked up to an electrical current, so that when necessary the teacher could push a button to give a student a reminder to listen without disrupting the rest of the class! Of course that could be dangerous on days that I am contemplating physical harm.....

Ginny - Was your DH in a better mood when he got home? What movie did you see? Was it any good? My DH and I hardly ever get out on a "date" any more. Friday nights we usually rent a movie and that is about as close as we get. Some day our children will be old enough to be left alone! We ended up going to the pool at the high school (not MY high school but in town). It was nice because I got to do some laps and the children loved it too. My DS did go to his fathers house. I'll be sick to my stomach until he is returned on Sunday! Hopefully they will kill him with kindness trying to make my DD feel bad for refusing to go.

Mouse - How could you have known to sign up for a program that was convenient for that school when you were just hired there? I am sorry that the principal is already acting like that. Usually they wait until you are all settled in before they become obvious power control freeks! The rebellous side of me wants to tell you to get out before you fall in love with the kids and feel the need to stay for them. Unfortunately from what I've read you really aren't independently wealthy where that is a practical solution. I will just keep my fingers crossed that the other school with come through for you. I do believe that everything happens for a reason but it is sometimes hard to figure it out until everything is all said and done.

This morning I am meeting with a bunch of close friends for breakfast. We meet the 2nd Saturday of every month at the local coffee shop. We have several girls that I swear could be stand up comedians (Robyn you would fit right in!). I really look forward to the get togethers.

This afternoon I am in a golf tournement with my DH, my best friend and her DBF. It is a totally for fun thing but the course they are playing this year is suppose to be tough. Lots of water and out of bounds plus long for the ladies. I like to golf but I'm not that good. Oh well I guess I'll clear my golf bag of all those old balls! This is the first year my DH has golf with us. He usually has a work golf thing the same day so I have to borrow a man for the day. There is a party afterwards that I usually attend for at least a beverage or two but my DH doesn't drink, so I don't know if we will do that. My DD gets to spend the day with my DM. She doesn't often get just one of my children so that will be a nice bonding day for both of them. She is going to spend the night so maybe if we don't go to the party we can actually go to a movie or something! Tomorrow we are off to camp.

Sue

Whooohoooo! I'm no longer a WWmeetingVirgin! I not only got up and drove to this thang... I actually got out of the car and went INTO the place at 6:45 A.M. (That is AAAAEEEMMMM people!)for the 7 AM (I repeat AAAEEEMMM) meeting! IT IS SATURDAY! SATurDAY... Oy...What have I agreed to do?! (They asked about nonscale victories: mine was walking in!) I am going to LIKE this. I am going to DO this. I AM. I AM. I AM! (AAAEEMM!)

So. Here I go.
When I finish posting this message I will investigate how to update the little signature ticky thingy and post my GAWD awful weight! I have explained to you people that I'm shy. (No one seems to believe me...but, well...I AM! :snicker: TRULY!)
Anywhooo...I am 5'4.... BUT when the my new little (and I DO mean little...why DO skinny chicks run the scales?) friend asked me how tall I was I told her 6'9. She looked up at me with not a hint of a smile. She asked again how tall I was adding..."Our program is all based on your height and appropriate weight." To which I responded with "Oh, sorry, I'm 6'4, I guess I shouldn't lie about something this important, huh?!" She FINALLY cracked up (hardass!)and asked, "So, 5'4?"

There was one guy there who made Lifetime today! Being the new fat chick, I sorta wanted to sit on him (to crush his little lifetime butt!) when he said that he owed all of his success to his wife who figures all his points and prepares all of his meals...and then he motions to her...and there she is....a BIG girl with much to get off! Yes, I do find it sweet that he is there supporting her...and that they are doing it together, yadda yadda yadda... But I still wanted to crush the "lifetime" out of him when he says that his loss to get to lifetime was 22 pounds! ARGGH! Perhaps I will get the hang of this WW thang AND how to be nice to people too! You and I both know that it will be easier for me to get the WW thang than turn me NICE! I could have squished him like a bug!

Ok...so I don't miss having my own Attilla the Employeed Hun come home with all of his misplaced work related aggression! I *DO* remember back in the old days when my dh worked..ahem... how horrible things would very frequently be. Things here this summer haven't been fun; however, I DO not miss THOOOSE days of how Attilla would arrive home mad at the freakin world over every freakin thing and take it out on his dear calm, cool, collected and very understanding family! ARGGH! ...And yes, the $$ do fall as Fall begins! You should check out the winter rates! We go down there for Thanksgiving to surf fish. Did I tell you about seeing the shark one Thanksgiving? RIGHT in front of where we were standing? I mean RIGHT in front of us...like 3 feet! HUGGGEEEE thing! THAT darn thing will NEVER EVER be out of my head! OMG!

Summer, Summer, FoFummer, WHERE ARE YOU? Summer? Miss you, SumMer! (Did you sing that correctly?! Good, I knew that you could! (said in my best SNL Mr.Rodgers voice!) I hope that all is well with you and yours! Has Svetlana done you in?

Sue, good luck with your golfing thingy. Call me when you make it to tv... I'll watch you! THAT is as close to golf as I'll ever get! With the exception of when I am forced to take the BoyScouts to some MiniGolf event complete with Windmill hazards!
I'll be in touch regarding our group discount for THEProds! I'm really liking your idea of having more than one so as not to need to keep transporting them! I've already got enough stuff in my purse; however, it would come in handy for those annoying folks you might run into in Walmart. AND...I wonder if Mr.LifetimeMyWifeCooksANDFiguresMy Points will be around long enough for our order to arrive... maybe I wouldn't have to actually sit on him... maybe just stand near him while waiting to WI! Mmmmmm.... Have fun camping!

Mouse, Why oh WHY didn't you tell your new EVIL principal that your graduate school WAS conveniently located right up until the Spring?! ARGGH! ....and have you joined the union yet? You are going to need to...I can already tell! Have you heard from the other principal? AND can they do that to you? Re: your religious holidays? HOW horrible is THAT?! I would demand that they allow you to work during the "winter break" (that is conveniently placed right at Christmas time! arghhh!) ARGGH! And...I do recall some of the "stuff" about our conversation about my kid. Things did just sort of stop when we heard that Jason had died. I've got the stuff saved...and I'm sort of thinking that my reply is nearly finished... I'll dig around... Do you mind if we continue?

Pam, I will look up FrogLegs on my new handDandy WW stuff!! I think that the Heron someone offered will also clean out the pond...so I don't think that BirdNapping some federal protected bird to relocate it near your pond will really help... (and I have no clue if those birds are federally protected or not... Just in case you've already taken THAT huge step to try to Kill Kermit!) I would make sure that the administrator who says he will remember your name for future use, WRITES it down somewhere! As we can ALLLLLLL agree.... Good administrators who GET IT are hard to find! Perhaps you could make him a business card with all your contact info on it...and your current resume in mini form on the back... Just an idea! We don't need any one else to go thru what Mousie is having to deal with!

Kerry! Where are you girl?! Haven't heard from you in a few days! Hope all is well with you!

Did I miss anyone? Hope not! Forgive me if I did! I've been up since DAWNNN so I'm a bit fatigued! BUT, I've only eaten 2 points.... and it is already 10 am! Whhhhooohooo! One day at a time! That is how I'm attacking it! One day at a time!

type to ya'll soon.....
take care,
meeee

OK. was it everyone or just me? I had to log in. (Is this because I double posted in error earlier this week! EEK!) I had ALL THATTTT typed and it wouldn't take it in the end... Said I wasn't logged in! ARGHH! Could you hear my mini hiss fit?! Log in. Um, THAT requires a password. Thank GAWWW that I do exactly what they tell you NOT to WHICH is: I use the same password for most all of my online junk. (Except for my banking, shopping and other credit card required stuff....Putting that in there in CASE someone has cracked my "code" and thinks they are NOW going to get into my $$ stuff! Ha! I'm dumb... but not THAT dumb! Hehehe! You do realize that I'm joking, yes?) (I got an email from a stranger a few months ago after she read one of my posts here. She wanted to HELP me understand something or the other... and I had to HELP her understand my sarcasm! She was only trying to be helpful and friendly; however, needlesstosay, we are NOT email buds!)

**Someone asked about my gradelevel.... First! Beginning my 19th year with a group of "transitional first graders" in a few weeks!

**Someone asked about my son's SpEd stuff.... Trismuspseudocamptodactyly Syndrome. A very rare genetic disorder that he inherited from MOI! Shortened tendons throughout his body. Makes writing a complete and total bear. Above average IQ and verbal skills stuck in a body that performs well below that of his typically developing peers. Superman does anything that he wants to with the exception of writing using a pen or pencil! HOWEVER, it is a constant battle with
the school CONSTANT! We travel with an educational advocate! (When I grow up,
I'm going to BE an educational advocate...and give em back the crap that they
have given my kid!)

Ok...enough of my mouth for now! BoyScouts are going iceskating. NOPE, this old gal isn't strapping on skates and slipping around and breaking her oversized hip to DAY! But, I am going to help control the dear sweet middle and high school aged boys! (HOW and WHY do you gals do it?! LOL)

take care,
meeeee

Man, you send your kid to camp and think, "what a great experience this will be for my child...something to broaden his/her horizons...a healthy way to be active and stay out of trouble...a "safe" place for my child to spend part of his/her summer vacation..." only to lose your child forever. Too many children died this summer for stupid reasons at camp...cheerleading camp, boy scout camp, etc... It is frightening. I never did cheerleading camp like DD. They didn't have such a thing 30-something years ago. I did, however, go to girl scout camp, and considering the lousy staff, bad judgement, and risky situations I was put in, it is amazing I survived...I'm serious...not kidding. My only concern for DD's safety when she is with the Brownie leaders, YMCA staff, gymnastics coaches, or cheerleading coaches has been pedifiles...and swimming. The YMCA staff does not have permission to take her swimming without me there. Don't ask me why since she can swim...I just worry. But, at cheerleading, I was there every single minute, and I never thought someone would die from doing a stunt. Granted, DD's level didn't involve tossing. They did pyramids but no tossing. DD was upset not to be on top of the pyramid. I think she is too tall to ever get up there, and thank God for that. Hopefully, she will be a responsible spotter.

Sue, you will definitely want to read J. Evanovitch's books in order...it is more fun that way. Begin with One For the Money. You can find it used at amazon.com. I finished the Full House series, and I am hoping she will write another one. I'm not ready to say, "Goodbye" to those characters. I am currently reading Three to Get Deadly right now. Re: personal training...I'm splitting the cost of the trainer by working out with my friend and the trainer at the same time...for how long? I'm guessing an hour, but I'm not positive. This is actually cheaper than the YMCA. They charge $60 an hour! The friggin YMCA costs more than Bally Total Fitness!!! Funny huh?! I'm really sorry to hear how your ex behaves toward his kids. It is so cruel. Thank God they have you. At some point you will need to find a way to help your kids come to terms with the reality of the kind of father they have and that it should not reflect on how they view themselves. They deserve a better father than they got, and they need to know that he failed, not them. They are not to blame for his behavior.

Rob, I love you, but you are full of sh*t! You, shy?! Puhleeze!!! I don't believe it. Congrats on making it to your first WW meeting at 6:45 AM, no less!!! Did they totally love you or what? Did you let anyone else get a word in edgewise or what? I don't blame you for hating the skinny weigh-in ladies, but they are supposed to inspire you to become lifetime success members like them!!! Yeh, right. Thanks for giving Sue the Janet E. info since you were the one who turned me on to her. Personal trainer: Tall, skinny yet muscular, female, literally half my size in the width of my body...cut me in half lengthwise, and you have this young woman who is strrrrong like buuuull. She has a thick Russian accent, and in spite of seeming intimidating is actually very sweet. We will see how sadistic she becomes when I've paid my money.

Ginny, sometimes weight gain or loss is unexplainable. Yesterday and really the past few days, I have been eating and drinking in a less than responsible way. After being out late at Ocean Beach having had a clam fritter, cheeseburger with the roll (naughty naughty), some fries, a margarita, cosmopolitan, and three Mike's hard lemonade, I woke up this morning with a 4 pound weight loss!!! It is nuts. You can't blame yourself. You just keep plugging away doing what you know is right, and it will all come out in the wash. By the way, Ocean Beach Park is in New London, CT, 90 minutes away from my home.

Mouse, I unfortunately have a principal just like the one you described. Part of the problem is working for a public school...bureaucracy...there is NO FLEXIBILITY at all. I have to take my classes around the school schedule no matter what. During April parent/teacher conferences, I had to miss a class...an important class by the way...because I was "bound by contractual restraints." It was interesting seeing the professor who in the syllabus made it clear that we would not be excused from class and missing a class would affect our grade, and how she backed down when I handed her the letter my principal wrote to get me excused. Guess what? I got an "A." It didn't affect my grade at all. It did, however, affect me in that I missed probably the only relevant information our professor shared during the entire course. As I said, it was an important class, and my principal didn't give a sh*t. Yes, this is your job, and you need your job. But, it doesn't have to be your job forever. Keep those resumes going out and maybe you will find a position that suits you better. P.S. You may want to check with the union about whether or not they can make you use sick or personal time at the principal's discretion for a religious holiday. It also seems like something the Anti Defamation League might find interesting. Good luck!!!

Pam, the schools in my district are hard-up for frogs for disecting...let us know when yours is ready for the formaldehyde!!!

Phew! I'm finally caught up. Kerry, I didn't see a recent post. Hope all is well.

I'll be back later after din din.

Okay, I'm baaack. I'm gonna update you all quickly since "What Not To Wear" is on in ten minutes, and I have not seen it in ages. They have this new tatoo show on TLC that seems to be on all the time...nothing I'm interested in seeing. Anyway...

DD was mostly better yesterday, so off we went to Ocean Beach (New London, CT). We hit major I95 traffic, so we were late. The tricklets were even later. While we were setting up on the beach, this skinny chick in a bikini with a belly button ring, and a dark, tanning salon tan, announced that she was friends with the tricklets, and they were running late. I hate when people are along for the ride when I am under the impression that I will be the only guest. And, lucky me...I got to spend the day and evening with two skinny chicks in bikinis with belly button rings, and dark, tanning salon tans...NICE. DH didn't know where the heck to put his eyes. I don't have any other friends with bodies like that. They are just lucky that they have good personalities, so I tolerate them being playboy gorgeous. Meanwhile, the whole time I was sitting in my new Christmas Tree Shop beach chair, I was sweating it because the label on the chair read: MAXIMUM WEIGHT - 225. That is cutting it a bit too close for me. The Atlantic was b-e-a-u-tiful. It was refreshing, clean, and shark-free. The beach was also clean and lovely...not too crowded being a weekday. After a day on the beach, and thankfully, my chair containing me on an as needed basis, we needed to shower for the second half of our day. The tricklets mom had told me that they had private shower stalls which they didn't. I panicked. I had to shower beside these perfect naked bodies. NOT! I raced in ahead of them while they were having a smoke and showered myself and DD faster than you can imagine, the whole time fearing that they would walk in and see my boobs hanging down to my knees not to mention all the other larger than life body parts affected by gravity. There were a few knocks on the door, but I managed to shower in private. The hardest part was putting a bra on big damp boobs in a big hurry, but I did it.

After the shower, the kids went on rides, we ate fast-food , (how they eat like that and stay skinny is beyond me) and watched an outdoor concert on the boardwalk overlooking the beach. It was great.

I can't wait to go back there next summer with 70 less pounds. I'll even shower in front of them!!! No belly button ring though. Where the heck were their stretch marks?! Remember, one of them carried 3 babies at once!!!

Today, my nice fat friend, mother of snow-day girl, and I went to the gym together for the first time. I showed her the ropes, and we got a great workout. She will be away a lot for the remainder of August, so we start training in September.

Take care one and all.

Good morning everybody.

I put in applications with the county I worked for the last time I was down here. They've got gobs of open positions listed for MR and Career & Transition teachers. The latter is definitely my first choice! I'm going to try and find the program specialist, because I did know her. I tried calling but didn't get HER voice mail, so I'm not sure what happened with that. I think I'll shoot her an email. And, the guidance director from my old school said she was willing to call some of the guidance directors for me (Guidance runs and hires special education staff in the schools in this county... rather strange to me, since most guidance counselors don't have a clue about special ed, but hey!)... She did, however, send a message with my friend to remind me that we didn't necessarily get along all that well the year we worked together (primarily because I was stuck teaching mostly LD self-contained/team-taught classes while my kids with labels and diagnosed with mental ******ation were in LD self-contained classes that I DID NOT teach... or crying in the hallways when they got lost, couldn't get a locker open or didn't understand what was going on in the LD classes; one of them had an accident in health class because he was so stressed out... I was hired to teach THOSE KIDS... but wound up teaching other kids while the kids I was assigned to teach suffered because of the principal's cluelessness regarding MR) and that if I didn't list the principal of that school as a reference, people might wonder. Well, she wasn't officially my supervisor. She's only my supervisor in that she's the head principal for that building, but she wasn't in charge of my observations or anything: the guidance director was. Besides, again, I don't have any issues with her that aren't directly related to the fact that she took it upon herself to change the placement of my students. You see, in the state of Virginia (and ask Robyn to verify this if you want!) if a child is in a class with a state test attached, they MUST TAKE THAT STATE TEST. They cannot do an alternative assessment. Well, I had kids with IQ's in the upper 40s and low 50's, with math grade levels anywhere from Pre-K to 3rd grade, and reading levels from K-3rd grade... being required to take 8th grade assessments because they were in classes with tests attached. And, as you all know, the thing that really makes me angry is when they hurt the students. And this policy DID hurt the kids.
I'm just still not positive if I should tell the other school district that I'm not going to go to that high school. They have 31 new staff for that building; and the district still hasn't fill all of their open positions: they had another hiring fair this past Saturday!
You would think that would make them just a little more flexible in terms of graduate school... I could almost live with not making camp this year (though I would certainly be very upset over not being able to go) if we could work out graduate school! And their written policy is that I'm required to take leave time for the religious holidays because I'm off at the Christian holidays (but remember: I'm not paid to be off then because I'm paid for X number of days during the year, and those days aren't included. My last school actually did give us paid time off for certain days within the holiday period, so THEY would have been able to do that, but they didn't... in Baltimore they just closed). Somehow, I don't think the principal would be amused if I offered to work Christmas Day and Good Friday. But to make it worse, because of the hours of the school, and the fact that their written policy only allows 3 days per year for religious holidays, I can't even go home! I would need to be home by sundown, and since the school doesn't get out until 4:00, there is no way I can get to my mom's house in Pennsylvania before that... not in October, in the middle of the week, with the rush-hour traffic!
Robyn: By all means, yes! Let's continue the conversation! Remember, I'm a fully certified Virginia teacher now, so I can write you a nice little report... the school doesn't have to take it, but you can "hire" an outside expert. And I'm pretty darned cheap (at least for friends!). As for the principal's comment? Well, really, the only time I ever lived near Johns Hopkins when I attended was the past 2 years. I did my master's without ever living in the state of Maryland. So I don't understand her attitude: The county that I worked for last time had NO problems; and neither did my inner city school in Harrisburg, PA! I mean, I took classes starting at 4:30 and 4:15 when I was in Harrisburg. Harrisburg is about 76 miles or so one way to Hopkins in Columbia! I would leave my school on class days when my students went to art or their afternoon special. My teaching assistant would put the kids on the bus and do end of day stuff with them on that day by herself. I left around 1:30 on those days, and my principal knew it. And that was even AFTER the district declined to pay for my first set of classes because they didn't want me to take the law class I was signed up to take (in that district, they'll pay 100% of tuition but only if your classes are pre-approved by the superintendent's office). I had a truly awesome teaching assistant then. But, that was we did at my last school too... I'd leave during PM homeroom or as soon as the last kid got on the bus. It has NEVER been an issue, at ANY school I've been in. I don't understand why it needs to be an issue here.
Summer: My mom said the same thing about calling the ADL... I might do that. And yes, I definitely joined the union... but I'm not sure they can do anything. I don't have a very high opinion of most teacher's unions and typically only join because otherwise I'm not included in the contract bargaining stuff or the "malpractice" insurance which I definitely need as a special ed teacher.

I have applications in at the county I used to work for, and 2 applications in with National Headquarter at the American Red Cross. They had two management positions open in DC that I might qualify for: one is a mass care manager (I'm a mass care specialist for national disaster response, so I figure I qualify for that), and the other is a "senior disaster volunteer coordinator". I've been a disaster volunteer for 15 years and a Red Cross volunteer for 18. The latter position is something that I saw myself doing when I retired from teaching to be honest: its a lot of traveling and going to local chapters to help them set up disaster teams and training. I love to travel... and I like it even better when somebody else is willing to pay for it!
I figure since they are both positions with National Headquarters the salary probably isn't TOO BAD... they know how expensive it is to live in this area.
The other bit of bad news is that I received the bill from my old apartment company: they claim they had to replace the carpet because of my cat. I lived there for 3 years, they would have had to replace the danged cheap carpet anyway... And it was REALLY REALLY cheap!
And, now for some good news. Remember I said I thought the scale might have moved down? It definitely has! Last Saturday when I weighed myself, I did it with my gym bag and everything. I knocked off 10 pounds for the bag, clothes, and junk in my pockets... which meant I'd lost about 3 pounds. This past Thursday when I did it (again, with the gym bag), it was FIVE pounds lighter than it had been on Saturday. So yesterday, I did it before swimming (but after I ate; the lifeguard and I got dinner together because I was pretty depressed yesterday), in my swim suit with no gym bag... and it was EIGHT pounds less than it has been in a year. I'm back to what I weighed last summer when I was throwing up all the time... !!!! And the past couple of weeks I haven't been exercising all that much: only swimming, and then only when I've gone to work at the gym in Baltimore. I mean, yea, I've been sweating my tail off unpacking, but...

Ain't no way I am going to keep up with Y'all right now......just came in for a drive by hello. Lucky me, I am off to MIL's......and I had to forgo pizza for lunch today so that I could stay within points range for today and the great unknown of MIL's cooking.
Typically stuff is swimming in sauce and she gets regally ticked if I show any sign of willpower (which with her cooking is easy to do!). Anyway.....sounds as though the past day or so has been interesting here, judging from my skim of the posts. Robyn- congrats on being a WWer!
Oh, Dh and I went to see Cinderella Man (at the cheapo theater.....his choice not mine but it was very good......Russell Crowe (sp) did not hurt either! hehehehe
And the man in the costume came home to see the move -Atilla the hun or whomever, take your pick- but halfway thru the movie he actually held my hand (rare public show of affection from Dh). So a tired but pleasant Dh came home. Now we are going to see his mother and father (a non person, anyone know the Beatles song "Nowhere Man"?????) so the costume is on again...lucky me. Scarpetta where are you!!!
Can't even blame my mood on hormones, TOM showed up Friday - so it was definately a factor with my Thursday WI. Sorry to sound like such a nut case. Guess I am one today. Forgive me for not getting personal.
Gotta go........see ya!
Ginny

Gee, where is everyone????? Survived yesterday, and it was not too bad. MIL actually finally figured out that if all else fails, I eat salad. And there was a salad, so I was able to stay on track. The visit did not last too long either (sometimes she expects these marathon visits~ the kids are dying of "ennui", I am too......but as I said yesterday, we only stayed 3 1/2 hours.

As for today, got the long walk in despite the miserable humidity. I have to push to do this each day from here on out......cause my days are numbered that I will have the time or energy to walk 4 miles. Once school starts I won't have the time.
And route selection begins tomorrow, my "appointment" is for Wednesday am. Hoping that they did not mess up my route too much (I will get to see the full route then) and that noone more senior takes it.
Okie dokie.....Dd wants to play on the computer....at least it is not SpongeBob!
See ya! (where is everyone???)
Ginny

Hello people!

I'm on Day3 of WW. I set a new personal record on Saturday. Didn't mean to! We went to a party (with the people that we went to the beach with!) and I ate NOTHING...(I had already eaten before I left home!) but I drank water. I didn't realize it until it was done. ...On Saturday, I drank 3.5 liters of water. This converts to just shy of 15 cups! It was hot and humid! I actually didn't even stay up all night going potty! I don't really aspire to do that again tho!

A friend sent me a great recipe for tilapia. I tried it yesterday. NOT only was it fast... It was yummy AND not a bad sized serving for a reasonable amount of points. Perhaps I should post the recipe. Summer, have you regained your standings in the SB group after posting the cheese cake recipe that included...gasp...graham cracker crumbs? How are you doing on SB, Summer? ...and if THAT didn't mess with your brain enough... I'd still be there on the beach...DEAD...from having to sit with the two skinny tanned pierced moms! There you were a delicate pale rose between two brown thorns! ...and the nerve of that triplet mother for having a flat stomach! ARGGH!

Gotta run......need to cruise over to the WW boards and see what is going on over there... Don't fret, I'm only lurking! They don't know me like YOU know me! LOL


take care,
meee

Mouse, congrats on your weight loss!!!

Ginny, glad you survived MIL. Yours sounds a lot like mine. DH and I hadn't had pizza all summer because of SB, so our visit to MIL's a couple of weeks ago to have pizza was a bad idea. If I'm gonna go off my diet, that pizza had better be the best pizza on earth, and it wasn't. And her salad is made with the unwashed (she won't let me help her in the kitchen) white and yellow parts of iceburg lettuce with some onions (I don't eat raw onions) tossed on top. We lasted a few hours with them by playing Dominoes.

While I was at Ocean Beach on Friday, the tricklets mom's friend had some very negative things to say about DD's upcoming teacher. I was upset because she had a bad year with her first grade teacher. I not only helped DD with her reading like any good parent would, I ended up being the one who taught DD how to read. I consulted with MY literacy coach. I used guided reading books from MY school. We spent hours and hours in tutoring sessions. Last time I checked, I'm not getting a salary from DD's school system. Anyway, I was hoping DD would get a veteran teacher strong in the area of reading instruction. Well, based on what this mom told me, and then yesterday, the documentation she showed me, DD's second grade teacher is not only a weak reading teacher, she sucks at communication. So, I called the vice principal this morning. She told me the hearsay was all lies and bordered on slander. Oh give me a break!!! She refused to change DD's teacher. So, I emailed this chick to let her know (in a diplomatic fashion) DD's educational history outlining that she didn't have any problems until first grade. I also made it clear that we shall be communicating very well and often even though I cannot be a physical presence in the classroom. We will see what happens, but I have a feeling that I'm gonna be busting my hump once again. I should really put in for a stipend! And as far as that vice principal, I'd really like to get my hands on her...she has been added to my sh*t list.

So, yesterday, we checked out a new church. I thought it would be good to go in the summer when attendance is down. One thing I liked better than my own church is that it was AIR CONDITIONED!!! Now this church is in my middle class town. My church is in an affluent town, and we are forced to sweat it out all summer long. We used to attend the 8am service in the summer before it got too hot, but some genius eliminated the early service this year. Hence, we have not attended once. My DH joked that we can make the new church our "summer church" and attend our regular church during the year. I'm not too happy with our regular church because I don't think it is very healthy for DD to be exposed to all white people who have more money than they can spend. Their value systems are warped. The majority of the children are spoiled and have no respect for adults. That is why I've given up teaching Sunday School. I had to spend all my time on discipline and very little on education. I don't have that problem in my job. So, I plan on visiting this new church a few more times to see if we might like the congregation more. The sermon was excellent, and the people we did meet were very friendly and "down to earth." People were dressed nicely, but they were not ostentatious. The best part was when we returned home from errands and found a loaf of homebaked bread on our porch from the church! How cool is that?

So, yesterday afternoon, it was the tricklets' birthday party. We were outside in thunderstorms almost the entire time hiding under umbrellas, tents, and a gazebo. Their house couldn't accomodate all the guests they invited. So, this morning, I'm sick with DD's cold from last week. At first, the rain felt good and cooled things off, but later I was just cold and wet...not a good idea when there is an overly friendly cold virus just waiting to pounce! Oh, and since I had a few (I lost count) mango martinis (YUM!!!) I'm also a bit hungover. Needless to say, I'm laying low today.

The party was fun...made more fun by those mango martinis . I got to meet the sister of the tricklet's hot mom. She is even hotter. This chick looks like she stepped out of the pages of Vogue...no, the cover of Vogue. There are some seriously great genes in that family. She is the mother of three, and looks like she is the teenage babysitter rather than the mom. I'm beginning to become desensitized to all these skinny, tan, gorgeously sexy women. DH is really enjoying himself. Let him look...after the ladies' husbands kill him, I'll collect the life insurance policy and live large!

Okay, I'm gonna go eat breakfast now. Yes, I know it is late, but I feel so crappy, I haven't been hungry.

Hi Ladies,
Yes I am still alive. That TOM last week about did me in. The hot weather on top of feeling crappy, didn't help much. Was suppose to go away for the weekend and ended up going on day trips with my dh instead. Cheaper that way! But plan on going a way sometime this school year for a long weekend and somewhere next summer. We went to the mall, took a drive out in the country and went to see a movie on Saturday. Yesterday we went to lunch and to the sport gooding store. Today I got my hair permed and my eyebrows done. It was nice to be pampered for a change. I have to get back into my excerise routine. I took off this past week some what dur to my TOM. I did get my three days in at Curves last week but that was it. This weekend and today, I didn't do anything. Tomorrow is a new day and I will get some excerise in.
Well I better go and check on the boys. They just came home from football practice and are wanting to practice more. Talk to you all later.
Kerry