Rantings of the Officially Unemployed

You'd think I'd be happy that the school year is over but I'm not. I'm too freaked out about not having a job for next year.

There are people who just don't get why I quit my job including people at the school. Hello? Where you not there this year? Are you completely oblivious to the working conditions? This school has a greater than 50% staff turn over rate year to year. Only 3 out of 11 teachers are returning next year. Two of them are only returning because they are so close to retirement they are too costly for other school divisions. When is admin going to clue in that they are the problem?

The thing that has bother me the most lately is the lying from administration. Two teachers and one teacher assistant were lied to about jobs for the future. The teachers were told that their services would not be needed because there would not be enough students next year (neither were planning to return anyway). A couple weeks later their jobs were advertised in the the newspaper. They were lied to because they spoke up about things going on at the school and administration did not have just cause to fire them. The teacher assistant was hired for a summer program then was told the summer program was canceled. They really had offered the job to someone else.

Blah, blah, blah....

I'm really down in the dumps. I'm still sick (actually worse than my last post) and I'm one day away from being unemployed. As much as I want the school year to be over, I don't want to stop seeing my friends all the time. I've made some great friends at this school and it will be really hard not working with them anymore.

Last week I interviewed at two awesome private schools and the interviews went great. I had a good feeling that I would get at least one of the jobs. I was so wrong. Today I found out from both of them I did not get the job. Ho hum.

One good thing about today was the teacher versus student basketball game. There were 5 teachers so we had to play the whole time and we still won. As I am still not feeling well, I told everyone ahead of time I was going to play the thug. As a fellow teacher put it "The part of Charles Barkley with be play by Janice ______". (Ok, that is only funny if you know basketball). Tiny, little me was totally pushing those boys around. I don't think the boys were expecting it. One boy in particular who probably half a foot taller than me constantly complained about it. My response: "If you're not going to do anything about it, quit complaining about it." He started pushing back when he asked another teacher if he was scared of him. I told him I wasn't and then gave him a shove. Oh yeah, I'm really good at trash talk. It was lots of fun especially since we won.

Cure for the Common Cold

I discovered today the best way to stop a perpetually running nose and forget about sinus pain -- bikini wax. Getting my legs waxed when I feel achy and sore was a really bad idea. I was in so much pain the lady asked if it was my first time getting my legs waxed. Normally I sleep through it but today I was white knuckled and sweating from all the pain.

I am an evil, evil person.

I am so stupid. I made the mistake of eating these porcupines. Now my throat hurts.

Ouchie. I couldn't help myself, they were just so precious.

Tough Choice: Shia LaBeouf or Michael Cera

Boys of Summer: Will You Pick Shia or Cera? - Eonline Cool Stuff Blog

Note for Top Models

Yes, your family and friends will find out what you are doing because YOU ARE ON NATIONAL TV.


ETA: I apologize Potential Top Models for my sister's finickiness. I'm sorry, I'll use smaller words. Let me start again: I'm sorry girls that might be a top model in the future, my sister doesn't believe in you like I do. You will always be a top model in my heart.

I heart iGoogle

Google was starting to get jealous because Wikipedia was fast becoming my new BFF. Then along came iGoogle. Today I figure out how to add all of my most visited blogs. On stop shopping for all the websites I visit.


ETA: I realize that Google is slowly but surely becoming "the man". I love it anyway.

Proof of QoWP's Dorkiness

Actual phone conversation:
QWOP: "You know how it is, it is all about the Franklins"
Janny: "Huh? Did you say 'All about the Franklins'?"
QWOP: "Isn't that the saying?"
Janny: "You mean 'All about the Benjamins'?"
QWOP: "Great, I'm just like Bron saying 'lifting the roof'."
Janny: "Bron said 'lifting the ceiling'".
QWOP: "Oh, I can't even get that right."

Up the wall

There is this lady that I work with that is driving me crazy. People know me, I'm extremely patient with people who are technophobes. This women is in charge of the school newsletter but don't ask me why. Each month I start from scratch teaching her what to do. I have to upload pictures from HER camera, edit them, email them to her then show her how format the newsletter. I probably would have a better attitude if she would be a little nicer to me about all the help I give her.
Right now she is treating me like it is my fault that the newsletter has not gone out yet. Sorry, I don't have the convenience to work on these sort of things while my students are working. My students' work is a little more involved than colouring.
She even had the audacity to yell at me last month when she accidentally deleted the pictures. She asked me for the pictures again and I responded "Oh, you don't have the email anymore?" Apparently that is an offensive statement.

For the filmophile

National Society of Film Critics Poll - a ranking of movies based on critic's reviews.

Bad experimental TV

Wow, wow, wow. Why does anyone think this would be a good idea?

Writers for 'CSI Miami' and 'Two and a Half Men' consider switch

There are so many jokes that could be made but I am still too flabbergasted.

Random News Items

Is Prince Phillip an island god? - BBC News
The C.E.O. Crossword - NY Times Crossword with clues from Lee Iacocca.

Unfair

You can't tease a girl with a 5 day weekend then take it away. After I finished calling all of my students to inform them that there will be no school until Monday, our fearless leader decided that we will go back on Friday. Friday was supposed to be a half day but now it is a full day. I'm sure parents and students will be super impressed. I doubt I will have any students show up on Friday.

I thought I was going to get all this time to catch up on work and get resumes to send out. Nope, I have to be back at work by noon tomorrow to set up my classroom.

The Best Thing You'll See All Day (If You're a Lost or Kirk Cameron Fan)

Looking for the Ark...

This morning I went into school to take my books home and help with a bit of clean up. I do not have work for the rest of the week.
Storms flood streets, dump hail on Edmonton, Calgary - Canadian Press, June 6, 2007

Calgary lashed by wicked rainstorm: Chaos follows flash floods, lightning strikes -Sarah Chapman and Jamie Komarnicki, Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Getting Exactly What You Need

Today I probably had the worst day of my professional career. I have never witnessed such disharmony, low morale and unprofessionalism in my entire life. Students knew what was going on and it caused great chaos. I did not want to go to work tomorrow at all or for the rest of the school year. In all honesty, every morning I wake up and hope that the school is on fire or flooded, some valid reason I don't have to go into work.
This evening I planned on doing laundry but I really didn't want to stay at home. I really wanted to call up people, go out and do anything. I needed to get my mind off things. A good friend called me up ans asked if I wanted to go to a bookstore. I was so in.
In the meantime, Cowtown pretty well has a flash flood. There were stranded cars everywhere. I kept on saying that I hope the school flooded. Not even five minutes later my cell phone rang, it was my principal; the school was flooded with about a foot of water.
Sorry Calgarians for the downpour, God knew I needed the day off. Tomorrow I have to show up for work an hour later than usual for what I suspect is salvaging my books and schoolwork.

NY Times Movie Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Screen: 'Breakfast at Tiffany's':Audrey Hepburn Stars in Music Hall Comedy By A.H. WEILER
Published: October 6, 1961

Old Familiar Tale of a Girl and Her Torn Ligament...

Seriously, I don't think I can spare anymore fingers. I went back to the doctor today for x-rays and as suspected there is not break. The nurse laughed at me again. I'm getting a reputation.

One student noticed that the splint on my finger was on a different hand. Before I could answer, students told her she was wrong but she was very right.


Good thing is it is doing much better and I can still shoot a basketball. Those are the things that matter in life.

Calling All Wordsmiths

How hard can it bee? Test your knowledge of words
- CBC, In Depth

Here I go again...

Remember how I tore a ligament in my pinky finger? Last night I was playing football and my right hand middle finger bent back at the knuckle trying to catch. In technical terms, I hyper-extended the proximal interphalangeal joint and I believe I tore the volar plate.

To summarize, I tore ligaments in two fingers on my dominant hand. I was so swollen and in so much pain last night I couldn't barely drive myself home. Good thing my car is automatic because I hand to put my car in drive with my left hand.

I dedicate the following poem to my "tall man" and "little Petter fiddler" -- sorry for being such a hater:

Tommeltott,
Slikkepott,
Langemann,
Gullebrand,
og Lille Petter Spillemann
- traditional Norwegian nursery rhyme

ETA: I just back from the doctor and my diagnosis was dead on. My finger is splinted in the neutral position and will remain that way for most of the summer. I really hope my pinky doesn't give me too many problems because I'll look like a freak with two splints. I'm supposed to go back for x-rays and re-examination when the swelling has gone down (and the lab is open). The doctor on call feared that it could be pretty serious.

Since this is the walk-in clinic where I get my allergy shot, the nurses know me and know that I came in with a torn ligament in my finger a couple weeks ago. They thought I had made it worse. They shook their heads when I explained it was a different finger on the same hand. I'm getting a reputation.