Janny the Snob?

There is a possibility that I am cool. Chuck Klosterman argues that cereal commercials teaches kids that elitism is the same thing as being cool. By that logic, for the first time in my life, I am part of the "in crowd".

For the first time in my teaching career, not only do I have several coworkers my own age, I have a lot in common with them. There are 5 of us that range in age from 28 to 32 that all teach high school. We started by going out to lunch together on professional development days or supper when we had parent-teacher interviews. We normally congregate in one teacher's classroom on Friday mornings for a "staff "meeting" (weeks more often than that). It has gotten to the point where if one of us cannot be found, they know exactly where to look.

A couple weeks ago, one of my friends invited me to her house for a "staff" Christmas party. A official party had not been planned by the social committee so she decided to throw her one. I was told to keep the party a secret since not everyone on staff would be invited. I didn't even have to ask her who was invited or not, I already knew.

There is two ways I can look at things:
1) You can't fault us for being friends and spending time outside of work. We get along with everyone but you can't expect us to be friends with everyone.
2) The above argument sounds exactly like someone trying to make excuses for being part of a clique. It isn't like we make an effort to include other people.

Bad Blogger Mommy

I'm sorry, I have not updated since November 29th. I've been neglecting my blog. I've been sick with a cold for nearly two weeks and working like crazy.
Please forgive me.

I'd rather run into Zach

So a couple times I've ran into Dustin Diamond incognito and his apparent BFF Harry Knowles (of Ain't It Cool News) on the train. I'm pretty sure they are studying to be computer engineers at Devry. Screech was wearing aviator glasses when it was pitch dark outside. Either he was trying to be in disguise or he really loves Corey Hart. Neither would surprise me.

***Mary, these are even more dead on descriptions than "12 year old Icelandic boy", "Jesus-looking dude" or "pimp janitor".

Kid Rock has really gone down hill

On MSN Today:


This is my theory:
1) MSN does not have access to any pictures of Kid Rock and Pam Anderson
2) They only have pictures of Pam Anderson with Doyle Brunson (which is understandable, why would you want a picture WITHOUT Doyle Brunson).
3) MSN does not have any photo editing software to remove Doyle Brunson and copy and paste Kid Rock in

Life Rants

Why do I keep on having dreams about over sleeping and missing work? On the weekend I dreamed that I was sleepy during my prep period so I decided to close my eyes for a couple minutes. In my dream I woke up at home in my bed 4 days later. I'm so tired these days even in my dreams I am sleepy.

I have come to the conclusion that Calgarians talk big but are really big wusses. For the past couple days it has been between -20 and -30C. Not a big deal for a girl from Saskatchewan but for anyone else, it gets below -5C and they don't know how to cope. The kids were trying to convince the principal to call a weather day. YOU LIVE IN CANADA YOU IDIOTS, DEAL WITH IT! I do admit it is harder to drive in Calgary than most places in Saskatchewan. When I was on my way home last night (a trip that took me 1:45) and there were lots of cars that couldn't get up hills on the slippery roads.

An add to my story yesterday about putting the plug on my block heater: my landlord did it wrong. When I woke up on Monday it started like it wasn't even plugged in. I think something was loose because the plug fell right off. Late last night I drove my car around so it would start in the morning.

Janny's Blog: Singer in Disguise

What is going on? An Elvis Stojko hater has started a bit of controversy on my blog.
Janny's Blog: Singer in Disguise

Changing Plugs or How Ky Will Be Framed for My Murder

I had a truly craptacular day yesterday.
Stupid, silly me did not deal with getting my plug replaced for my block heater when the weather was nice. Yesterday my car barely started and I didn't want to wreck my car battery so I had to deal with it. (Please note that I was tired and not feeling well).
First I made some phone calls to find a garage where I could work. Either people were not home or not available. It was still daylight so I decided to take my chances to work on it outside. After buying the necessary materials and receiving specific instructions from my dad, I bundled up and got to work.
The old plug was impossible to remove. The screws and wires were pretty rusted so I eventually just cut the cord above the plug. My dad told me that there will be insulated wires coloured white, black and green, however there was only green so this confused me. After many phone calls back and forth I finally was able to get back to work again.
The insulation was striped away and I was ready to attach the wires when I discovered that I had not exposed enough of the wires. It about -33C with the windchill and the insulation was very difficult to cut. My utility knife slipped and I cut my finger pretty badly. I ran inside, put on a band aid and then finished removing the insulation. As I was screwing a wire tight, I realized that the inside of my mitten was completely wet. I took it off and my entire hand was cover in blood. I ran inside, cleaned off my hand and waited for the bleeding to stop before going back out again.
Returning to my work, I discovered I had attached the wrong wire to the wrong screw (it was getting dark). I had to undo my work and start over again. I tried to start over again but my hands were so cold I couldn't do anything. I went back inside and tried to make some more calls again to see if I could find a garage. I still could not get a hold of anyone so I went back out to finish the job with a flashlight. With the flashlight I saw that one of the wires had been cut through so I was going to have to start all over again. Do you know what does not help when you are working outside in the cold? Huge crocodile tears rolling down your face. I went inside to calm down and warm up. By the time I went back outside, my landlord came home and he let me use his garage. He even helped me to put the plug on.
I was very confused when I got inside and there was red paint all over my screwdriver. I looked closer and realized it was bloody fingerprints. Good thing the light was dim in the garage or my landlord would have noticed he was using a bloody screwdriver.

***Note: The reason Ky would be framed for my murder is she can seem suspicious even if she didn't do anything.

I am such a dork. I was eating choclates after parent teacher interviews and I drooled all the way down my shirt in front of half the staff.

I came to the realization a couple days ago that the students from my homeroom during my first year of teaching turned 22 this year. Any who went to university right after high school have convocated.

I ran into a student from my first homeroom earlier this week. She has her degree in business administration and is working for a securities firm downtown. Former students are grown ups, I am so old. Despite making me feel old, it was nice to see her. She is genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met in my entire life. Teaching would be so easy if I had more students like her.

Fun with Clocks

Let me preface that I know I am old and I go to bed way too early.

The other night I went to bed at 10 pm and my alarm was set to go off at 5:25 am. I woke up at 10:58 very confused why I over slept by that much and my alarm clock did not go off. Tired, I force myself out of bed and into the bathroom to shower. It took me a couple minutes to realize it was way too dark outside for 11 am and realized I had only slept an hour.

Little Known Metal Facts

I was looking up Iron on Wikipedia and found this:


I never know one of the properties of iron was Charley Turton's smelliness.
I went back this afternoon and it was gone.

Report Card Aftermath

See if this makes sense to you:
I have a female student who does not do her homework, does not write down notes, does not study and does not ask for help. She has failed every test this year so far. All she has managed to accomplish is passing notes to her friends. She was surprised that she is failing. What? She blames me that she failing. She thinks I have something against her. She's a nice girl but she doesn't do anything in class. I have nothing against her.

The report cards were handed out on Friday and today she was displaying a serious hostile attitude towards me. A boy in the class with a similar mark as her got upset with her for blaming me for her failure. At least he admits he deserves the grade he has.

Students have such a warped sense of the reality of school. I don't give grades, they earn grades. It has nothing to do with how much I like them but to how well they know the content of the curriculum. Math and science grades are not subjective. It all boils down to a generation that does not take responsibility for their own actions.

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

New School Picture

We had retakes this week and here is my new proof. I haven't decided yet if I want to order any.


(The small text says our guest lecturer is discussing the ramifications of bustin' heads.)

Into the Mind of Janny

I had a dream that I was Veronica Mars two nights ago. It was just like it was a continuation of the show, I was on the same case as her and it even had an end of show cliffhanger. I don't want to describe the case I was working on because I don't want to spoil anything for people that haven't seen the real show.

I was given a tip there was a clue in a locker in the girls' change room. I was trying to vindicate someone who had been falsely accused of a crime. The locker didn't actually belong to anyone and I had to use cryptology to open the lock (although I don't know why I just didn't cut the lock). Seconds before the person was arrested, I found my clue . For some reason the male football coach arrested a boy in the girls' change room. I don't know why either of them were there but it made sense in my dream. The other strange part was that the change room had no exterior walls. ANYWAY, the coach wouldn't listen to me about the evidence I found so I headbutted him in the back. He continued to walk away then collapsed a couple yards away. I shouted to the crowd that had formed for the perp walk, "Hey, all I did was head butt him!" Then fade to black.

I want to be sedated

I feeling punching everyone and everything. The lowlights of the day:
A student threw a temper tantrum because his ex-girlfriend DID NOT key his car. She stood by his car and there are no marks on it. Yet he is convinced that she damaged it. I don't key his car all the time and he has never once got upset with me.
The photocopier hates me. Either it jams or only photocopies the first page multiple times. I tried to make overhead transparencies and it warped them. At student came up to me and asked me if he could help. As I walked with him to class "Not unless you have a baseball bat or dynamite."
Yes, I did take an extra doughnut from the staff room. You snooze, you lose and get a bran muffin. If you have a problem with that you can fight me for it.
I'm going home and watching Crapmore Girls.

Now I just need someone to love my sassiness...

I don't know if it is from my obsession with Veronica Mars but I tricked a student into a confession today. I was awesome. All I had was a student who might have seen something and the principal said this wasn't enough. I privately confronted one student and I spoke just like I saw the whole thing. He admitted to it and that's all I needed. I rule. Unfortunately my awesomeness is overshadowed by the fact that I had two students cheat.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again

Ok, ok, I realize that the last time I posted the internet had just been invented. Shoot me, I've nothing to talk about. All I do is work. This is what my blog would look like if I had posted:
Oct 23
Went home from work, watched TV, prepared chemistry lessons then when to bed early.
Oct 24
Went home from work, watched TV, prepared chemistry lessons then when to bed early.
Oct 25
Went home from work, watched TV, prepared chemistry lessons then when to bed early.
....
You get the point. My life is repetitively boring.

This past weekend I went to a Halloween party. I dressed up again as a swing kid but this time it was even more historically accurate. I drew lines up the back of my legs just like they did back in the day when there were no nylons. I was super cute.

After supper and games, we went 5-pin bowling. I was so excited. I love bowling with all my heart and soul. At first I wasn't doing that well since I was bowling in a dress. I lost my sympathy after bowled 4 strikes in a row.

Because we are not allowed to dress up in costumes at my school so we had a pajama day instead. I wore my Super Girl jammies. You'd think any day where you wear Super Girl jammies to school would be super awesome but it wasn't. It is Halloween and the boys were more stupid than normal. (Boys ages 12 - 17 are significantly more stupid then any other age range, it's science).

I'm weak for fashion

In Canada, Project Runway is a couple weeks behind the original airing. So it is really hard to be surprised. I knew the finale was aired last night. I tried to be strong and not find out but I was overcome by temptation. Oh well, I'll still watch it even though I know who wins.

Pop Culture Amiss

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who hated last night's Gilmore Girls. I agree, Snakes on the Plane references are so August 19th.
Snakes on a 'Gilmore' girl

The Punches Keep on Rolling

The last two nights in a row, I have gone to bed 2.5 hours later than usual because I had too much work to do for school. Last night I was nearly in tears with frustration trying to write a chemistry test. I just wanted to go to bed.

This morning when I got to school my computer would not boot up. A bunch of marking that I was going to do before school did not get done because the answer key was on the computer and I did not get the new one done in time. Most of the documents on the computer were backed up on a memory stick. The only thing that I can't recover is the class attendance since the beginning of the year. I can recreate as best I can from this week but I can't remember beyond that.

The combination of not getting enough sleep and all the chaos that followed left me frazzled all day.

There is something going on at the school right now but I'm not sure what. About a half hour after school dismissed, several students returned. They are all being interviewed by a police officer. I can only hear bits and pieces and it is only making me more curious.

Older than I Look

The general consensus of staff and students is that I look like a high school student. You would think 10 years after I finished high school I would look different. Of course wearing sparkly union flag shirts does not help.

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Pukefest 2006

I'm paranoid I'm getting the flu. In the past two days I have had 3 separate students running out of the classroom to throw up. It is a bit of an epidemic in the school right now.

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Blah

I feel so defeated. I was marking quizzes last night and I suspect 4 students cheated. How could I not have noticed? These students frustrate me so much.

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Immodesty Abounds

Where did women get the idea that it is attractive to wear pants so tight you could see their future grandchildren ?

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Crazy Train

If you want to know the general mental health of a certain population, ride public transit.

Tuesday morning, while waiting for the train to arrive, a man was tackling a pillar repeatedly. Excuse me, sir, that pillar is not going anywhere.

A couple stops later, man came into the train car telling himself loud, boisterous, nonsensical stories. Occasionally he laugh uproariously at what he said. There is something unsettling about one person laughing loudly when no one else is talking.

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Like a Record, Baby

Of course I have to get sick on my only long weekend before Christmas. I wouldn't have it any other way. This afternoon I was working on report car marks and I was feeling pretty tired. I wanted to have a short nap but 2.5 hours later my brother woke me up.
When I got out of bed the whole room was spinning. I have not been this dizzy since I was about 6 years old and experienced the worst flu of my life. I only got out of bed so I could visit with my family while my brother was over. My mommy went out and bought me some gravol. I feel better but not great. I can at least sit upright.

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Into the Mind of Janny

I am such a dork that last night I had to nap at 10:30 pm so I could make the rest of the 1.5 hour trip back to my parent's house. This is from a girl who for the past 6 years had a hard time getting to bed before 1 am. My how the times have changed. I go to bed at 10 pm and that is too late for me. I really wish I could be in bed with the lights off by 9:30 pm. May I reiterate? I am such a dork.

I have lots of experience traveling long hours by myself. It amuses me the things I do to entertain myself on long trips:
- think of new and witty comebacks for all occasions
- imagining this big jock dude doing an interpretive dance to poetry. (He should have never told me about that assignment from university. I am offering a reward of my first born child, 1 million dollars and my wooden wiener dog book ends for anyone that can track down the tape).
- yelling out road signs in a monster-truck-commercial-announceresque voice. "Thunder Creek Road! Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!"
- practicing the song "Radar Love". It drives me crazy that I accidentally sing "nude sunrise" instead of "new sunrise".

I make myself laugh.

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Blast from the Past

Space has started showing episodes of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. So Awesome.

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Clean Machine

I had a rip roaring time this weekend. My big excitement included cleaning the Venetian blinds, kitchen and bathroom. I also managed to be in bed before 11 every night and up before 7. Tonight to cap off my big weekend, I will be in bed by 10. I am the life of the party.

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Scientific Time Efficiency

I was doing last minute lesson planning when I realized that my entire grade 12 Physics class is in my Chemistry class. I was planning to review that same basic principles of science in both classes but what's the point? Why teach the same group of students the same thing twice? I'm just going to go on with the next lesson.

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Important science lesson

16 inches is very different than 16 centimetres.

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Dollar Store Bargains

My school is by the best dollar store EVER! Honestly everything is a dollar or less. For school I bought for less than $22.

• 7 measuring tapes


• 2 boxes of tissues


• 5 bags of marbles


• 4 stackable storage boxes


• 2 rolls or masking tape

Bargin.

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Tattling Students and Strange Co-Workers

I'm a little annoyed right now. Earlier this week I had 4 students show up 5 minutes before class was over. They are upset that they were marked absent and not let into class. You're kidding me, right? They were so upset they went and complained to the school director. Among there other complaints: sometimes I make mistakes when working out math, chemistry or physics problems.

****Newsflash: Janny is not perfect and sometimes makes mistakes.******

These kids are ridiculous. The director called me into his office to tell me I need to let the students know that teachers make mistakes too. I seriously have to tell them that? That is something they don't know?

On a less annoying but more curious note, one of my co-workers has been acting strange all morning. Whenever he sees me, he stops, looks right at me and says nothing. If I ask him what he is doing, he says nothing. It is a little unsettling.

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Weirdest Thing I've Yelled at the TV in a Long Time

"For serious? A beret? You have to be kinding me."

Thanks Roger, now "for serious" is part of my everyday speech. I started out using it as a joke now it I started using it for serious.

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The Busy Just Got Busier

Yesterday I was asked to coach the junior girls basketball team. I teach at a small school and there has never been enough interest by female students for a girls' team. I have never coached basketball by myself before. At my previous school, a community member coached the team and I helped out. Legally a teacher has to be present at all practices and games.

I'm glad that girls are showing interest in sports at this school (whose population is predominately Muslim). However, right now I barely have enough time to sleep and eat with my schedule. I have yearbook meetings starting today and basketball starting in a couple weeks. I might possibly die.

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Useless

This afternoon was a complete bust. I taught my lessons but it was impossible to get the students to work on what they were supposed to. These were the questions they asked me this afternoon:

1) How much cobalt-60 is needed to make a nuclear bomb?

2) What is cancer? How does cancer start? Why isn't there a cure for cancer?, etc

3) "Why did some dude invent pi?"

4) How do we know that these formulas [sic] are right?

5) Why did they decide how to arrange the periodic table?

6) "Were swears the same way back when you were in high school?"

There were many other questions relating to a belief that all the sciences were a mass conspiracy that nothing was actually true. As one student put it "There is no one someone could have figure that out."

It was only Wednesday, I hate to see what they are like on Friday.

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Hope for the best

My expensive graphing calculator went missing and I fear a student might have stole it. I never leave my class unlocked so it doesn't make sense. I really hoping I just put it somewhere weird and it will turn up.

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Welcome Wagon

Only one more sleep until Veronica Mars. I may burst with excitement.

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Bad Teacher

I "borrowed" a garden gnome on Saturday night.  I took part in a scavenger hunt at a birthday party and the item said "a lawn ornament".  I only hope it is returned or that would be stealing.

Today I bent my glasses with a Donkey Kong (spinning) top.  My glasses were sitting on the table and the top got a little out of control.  I confiscated the top from a student now it is all mine.  Of course, I only use it for very scientific purposes. I love double standards. 

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Surprisingly Efficient

This morning I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm. I decided I might as well start getting ready for work. Instead of taking over an hour to get ready for work, it too me a half hour. I ended up getting to work a half hour early instead of my usual right-on- time-in-the-real-world-but-late-according-to-the-school-clocks.

The computer teacher had a meeting this morning so I was supposed to cover his class during my prep period. He gave me all of the matierals for typing drills but when I got to class I discover it was one of their in-class learning days. They could do nothing that I was told they were suposed to do. Instead, I taught them how to draw The Sierpinski Triangle.

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I am not in a good mood. I just had a physics class where it was an absolute struggle to get them to pay attention. A ton of time was wasted and we barely got a start on the notes. I really don't want this to effect the rest of the day.

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Scientifically Annoyed

Before school started, I got half way through organizing and making an inventory of lab supplies. I stopped because it was taking me way longer than I was expecting and I had to prepare other things for the school year. I have done a little here and there since but have not had a significant amount of time to work on it. I came to the school today for the specific reason to organize the lab. The director came and opened the school for me. He knew why I was there but he gave me a lecture about how I need to make an inventory of the lab supplies while I was doing it. What? Isn't that the reason I am here? It is like telling someone in the middle of washing the dishes that the dishes need to be washed.
Also, why am I the only one who needs to be doing this? I'm not the only science teacher in the school. I worked on this for 3 full days before school started. The other high school science teacher worked on it for about a half hour. The middle years science teacher has not worked on it at all. They didn't even let me have the classroom off the science lab because the other teacher claimed the she was going to be using it more. I think this is a clear cut case of take advantage of the new girl.

Wrath of Jan

I gave my chemistry class a pop quiz today. Yesterday they were talking so much while I was teaching I stopped in the middle of my notes and made them learn it on there own from the text. I think I gave the greatest speech of my teaching career. You know how in the movies when someone is upset they will give brilliant speeches but in real life no one takes you seriously? No one makes sense when they are angry. That wasn’t me. Today I tested them on how well they learned on there own. Several of the students have smartened up, they do not want that to happen again.

Someone had the brilliant idea to have “Meet the Teacher” night on Friday. Friday is prime for slinking out early not staying 4 hours later. I got to school this morning at 7:50 am and I will be leave at approximately 8 pm. Ouch.

I was walking to supper with some co-workers (who happen to be male) and happened to run into my cousin who I had not seen for weeks. We are both to the same get-to-together tonight but I won’t get there until after 8. I’m paranoid that she be telling tales that she saw me with men before I get there (men that happen to be married or living with a girlfriend). We’ll just have to see.

In Calgary the no-smoking by-law does not go into effect until 2008. Tonight at supper, even though we were sitting in the non-smoking section, I went away with my hair and clothes reeking of smoke. What a great first impression for meeting the parents. “Nice to meet you. Contrary to the way I smell, I do not smoke like a chimney.” Man, I’m not even smokin’ like Ky.

I ran into someone I could not stand from high school yesterday. I was getting on the train as he was getting off. Time has not made him any less weasely (including his moustache).

Happy 2nd Blogiversary

I have officially have been blogging on Angelfire for 2 years now. Wow, have the times changed.

When I began blogging, I had just quit my job as a full time teacher and began my new life as a sub/shelf straightener/tutor in a new city. Since then I move again, became an admin assistant then quit that job for a full time teaching position.

I started blogging to stop bugging my friends with emails of random thoughts, forwards and surveys. It turned into another form of procrastination for me.

My personal favourite posting of the past two years: Emmy fun, mostly because of the Perfect Strangers reference.

Drive by Blogging

Sorry for the lack of posts. I STILL don't have Internet at home and I've had to leave right after school every other day this week.

I think my landpeople are avoiding me. I'm not sure why. It could be that they have something going on in their lives that I don't know about. Another theory is they are avoiding me because of the Internet situation.

I have been getting very little done in my prep periods lately. The rest of my day is so intensive, I just can't bare to work if I don't have to. Today it was a bit of a problem because I almost didn't finish my marking because of my procrastination.

Last Thursday I was facing downtown on the train as we left it. I noticed that Bell and Telus had their head offices right across the street from each other. I immediately thought "I wonder if they have rumbles on the street?" I then proceeded to rewrite songs from West Side Story with Bell and Telus instead of Jets and Sharks. I caught myself humming a little.

I'm not worried about being the crazy person on the train anymore. Today I was sitting beside someone who I thought was talking to someone across the aisle. I looked up to discover he was having a serious conversation with himself (complete with different voices for each "person"). I don't think I could ever truly live up to that.

The past two days I've had appointments after school so I've driven instead of taken the bus. Strange how when I leave an hour before I have to get to work it only takes a half hour to get there. If I leave a half hour before work, it takes 50 minutes to get there. Needless to say I was 20 minutes late yesterday and a half hour early today.
The last two days I've pretty well wasted my prep time at school. Of course I heard a quote one time that said that it was not time wasted if you enjoyed it. So I guess I can say I have not gotten any school work done during my prep period but instead I've ended up visiting with another teacher.
My classes have been very well behaved the last two days. This is mostly due to my very stern reaction to poor behaves on Friday (I'm trying to put it as polite as possible).
I've got to get going but hopefully I have time to tell the story tomorrow about how I have the potential to be "crazy lady on the train".

Dull, dull, dull

I am so close to being ready for Tuesday when the students come. After many hassles with the school's photocopier and printer, all I have left to do is look over my class notes.

My life has been rather dull the last couple days. I've been slacking off on procrastinate. The only thing I do when I am not working is watch reruns of Project Runway and Popular. All though I am super-pumped there is a Project Runway marathon tomorrow. Ugh, I have no life.

On the bargain front, I got a Sony flash drive for $10 yesterday.

What is Wrong with this Picture?

Why does Matt Damon look scared of Leonardo DiCraprio? He better be just preparing to kick him in the back of the head or I have lost all respect for him.

Drowning in Paperwork

Slowly but surely my to-do list for Monday is getting longer and longer. This is my chance to start over in a new school and make a good impression. Not that I made a bad impression in the past but I have made mistakes that I don't want to repeat. This time the situation is different too. I'm not longer a public school teacher in a small rural community.

This will be the first time in my memory that I will not be going away for the Labour Day Weekend. Too much work to do. I have no idea how I am going to get everything done and I plan to work all weekend.

In stupid computer news, I downloaded a trial version of a grade program and I think it changed my clock. I visited a web site and the browser told me that the security certificate was for a future date. I checked my clock it was set to August 8, 2004. What the aitch? Certainly encourages me to buy the full version.

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Dude Looks Like a Lady

Interesting Fact:
The 1987 Aerosmith song "Dude Looks Like a Lady" is about singer Vince Neil.


The things you learn from the TV listing channel.

Nineteen years later, dude no longer looks like a lady.

Calling all Janices

I am one of two Janices that teach at this school. Not confusing at all. The director just called over the intercom for Janice to come down to the office, not specifying which one. I yelled down the hall "Which Janice?" because I was raised in a barn. They didn't know so I had to go to the director's office. He was playing a joke. However it was determined that I am the Janice with the quickest reaction time.

It is really weird to be working with another Janice. I went to a high school with over 1200 students and I was the only Janice. It might seem weird but I'm annoyed by her only for the reason that her name is the same. How dare her name be Janice! Here are some alternative names I am working to differentiate myself:
- Tall Drink of Water (the other Janice is like 3 feet tall)
- Hot Janice (obviously)
- Patrick likes Lyn better than Janice but at least Janice has never creeped Patrick out (or PLLBTJBALJHNCPO for short)
Other Suggestions?

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Porridge Brain

My brain is complete mush and I haven't been able to focus on one thing all day. It is partially because I have been fighting a headache for the past 5 days and partially because I worked 11 hours yesterday. My body isn't used to teacher hours anymore. It will take awhile to adjust to things.

The ADD approach to lesson planning:
I was looking for science cartoons but then I remembered that John Boy Walton was in a WWI movie that I saw in high school but couldn't remember the name. So after I looked up the name of the movie, it got me thinking about the ABBA song Voulez-Vous (the reason only makes sense if you watch the movie). I tried to look for ideas for bonus marks. While I was searching for enrichment activities, I remembered that I need to resources for helping students prepare for diploma exams. A million things started but nothing finished. Finding out John boy was in the 1979 version All Quiet on the Western Front was the only task I finished.

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Inner Neil Simon

Maybe if you did see the show it isn't funny, I however find it hilarious.

"Poor Jeffrey's inner Neil Simon. He's probably jaundiced from the curdled ambition and misguided need for attention flowing through Jeffrey's veins. Jeffrey's inner Neil Simon needs some sunlight. And a weekend with an iron lung."
TWOP's recap of Project Runway

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Did You Miss Me?

Today is my second day official of work at the school. The students do not come until after the long weekend. All last week I worked on lesson planning on Monday through Wednesday, Thursday I ran errands and then Friday and Saturday I was at the school setting up my classroom and organizing the science lab. Some highlights:
* I was incredibly annoyed with the condition of the lab. I found out the reason why yesterday -- the regular teacher was on maternity leave last year and the lab went to pot. I so far I have spent over ten hours cleaning and organizing the lab. I am hoping I will be done this week.
* There are quite of few teachers here around my age and we hit it off right away. Yesterday while I was cleaning two other teachers visited with me and got nothing done themselves. Our classrooms have to be ready for tonight because we have an orientation night so the other two were scrambling to get ready today.
* There are over 100 thumbtacks in my walls.
* My schedule got completely changed around yesterday. On Friday a teacher informed the administrators that she will not be able to teach this coming year because her breast cancer has come back. She had just found out. Some teachers who were not working full time were given some more classes and our schedules changed. Fortunately, my new classes are in second semester.
* I overslept this morning and made it to work in 22 minutes. The commute usually takes over a half hour (do not ask how fast I was driving). I was only 3 minutes late.

I'm a little annoyed right now. A goodbye party for a friend was last night and I found out about it this morning. The invitation was sent out by email and I still don't have Internet at home. I was able to figure out how to connect my own.

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A True Friend

A saw a quote recently that said a true friend will be there for you even when they rather be somewhere else.  As soon as I read it, I immediately thought of a time I had done that for a friend.  As I was listening to her cry, I felt guilty that I wanted to be somewhere else.  I wanted to be somewhere else but I stayed because she needed me. I was there for her many times before and many times after. Unfortunately, years later when I really needed her she was not there for me.  I got a lot of lame excuses -- I felt so used. Even though it was a long time ago, I guess I still have not gotten over the hurt of that.  Suddenly, she was in the position where she need me again.  I was hesitant due to a history of her taking and never giving.  It felt a little heartless not to help her out but yet I didn't want to be taken for a fool.

A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation about giving someone another chance versus guarding yourself from being taken advantage of.  I think it is very difficult to know when to do what.  As a teacher, I had many students that their word meant nothing to me since they had been given so many chances but never delivered.  As the saying goes "I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking too loud".  So when is the point that you can start trusting someone again?  I think you should forgive but when do you give them another chance?

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First Speed Bump

There was a misunderstanding about my teacher certificate with the school. The principal had some paperwork to fill out for me but was never told that she had to. The director didn't entirely understand the process and thought it was something that I filled out. When I inquired as to the progress, the director had a mini-freak out that it was not done yet. He gave me the principal's home number and she reassured me that it won't take long. She was not worried about it at all.

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aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

For about the 6th time, MS Word has closed due to errors. Every time I make a change I save just so I don't lose it. I'm trying to plan a Chemistry unit and it is going no where fast. This is completely ridiculous. I just needed to shout.

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Another Brick in the Wall

I feel like it is the last day of school before summer vacation. Ironically it is my last day of work before going back to school. Much like the last day of school, I have accomplished very little and can't wait to get out of here. Unfortunately I can't ditch my last day of work.

I'll met you out at the moon tower.

My posting might be sporadic for the next couple of weeks: I can't get Internet until my landlord comes back from France. Even thought that sounds like a fib, it is the truth.

It is for your own good...

I saw this drug dealer on TV last night who said it wasn't her fault that people came to her to buy drugs. People make their own choices. Yes, people make their own choices but that doesn't mean temptation should be readily available. I came to the realization that I am a procrastination pusher. Some people deal drugs, I deal in the delicious avoidance of work. They didn't call me Captain Procrastination for nothing in high school. My sister maybe the queen but she is just a figure head.

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Murisophobia

I may never be able to enter my apartment again. I think I'll start sleeping in my car.

Last night, I was reading a book and waiting for another excellent episode Project Catwalk when out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something move. I went to check it out, hoping I was wrong since it looked bigger than a spider. I peeked behind my armchair and there was a mouse! I shrieked and the pesky rodent ran under the door to the laundry room. (I'm glad it didn't run around my apartment.) I shrieked. I never felt less like a strong independent woman when my first thoughts were cursing the fact I had no man to kill it.

After consultation with my brother-in-law, I put tape along the threshold to the laundry room and doused it with paprika. I then shoved rags and old towels under the door so it would not be able to enter. My apartment smelled extra spicy this morning.

I had a blanket in the wash but there was no way I was going to retrieve it. I think I am going to wait until my landlord comes home from vacation in 2 weeks. He can get it for me.

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Open Chest Wound

Unfortunately I am too much of a klutz to have finger nails that shine like justice. I stabbed myself in the chest with my nail putting on my tank top. The cut is about 2 cm long and bled like crazy.

My nails are so pretty, I can't bare to cut them. I made my dad laugh out load at Staples when I regaled the fact people think that I have fake nails because "how could something so beautiful be real?" My dad rarely laughs out loud. Yes, I know I am ridiculous.

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Turbulence + Janny = A Pukey Good Time

Ok, I didn't puke on my plane ride back but I nearly did..

First off, security at the airport changed a lot in the few short days between my flights. At least I knew there were going to be through searches so I made sure to take as little as possible for carry-on baggage. I did meet a cute guy on his way to Montreal while we were waiting for our computers to be checked.

The flight started out ok. As we approached Calgary, we hit some wicked turbulence and I prayed to God that I would not puke in front of strangers. I had my barf bag ready just in case but by God's grace, I did not. I have a hard enough time dealing with airplane travel when flying is good. I have to keep my eyes closed and breathe deeply during the planes ascent and descent. It makes no sense at all; I used to be the kind of person who could go on the scariest fair rides and barely be effected*. Now I nearly get sick on swings.

As mentioned before, I have thrown up on an airplane before, thus the fear. This was a slightly different circumstance since the main cause was flying to a job interview the day after having a wisdom tooth removed. A combination of the anesthetic still not entirely out of my system and taking pain killers on an empty stomach was too much for me. The second worse thing: my interview was in a couple hours and I threw up in my hair. The flight attendants would not let me get off the plane by myself so they sent for a wheelchair. So everyone paraded passed the girl who puked on the plane wishing me well. The worse thing: the wheelchair was pushed by possibly the most attractive man I have ever met in my life. Of course I had to meet an attractive man with puke in hair, any other way would just be un-Janny like.


*The exception would be the time the carny kept Kristin and I on the Octopus ride waaaaaaaaaaay too long.

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Greetings from Victoria

Currently I am visiting my sister and brother in-law in Victoria.  When I board the plane in Calgary, one of the other passengers looked vaguely like my friend's boyfriend (I have not seen him in over 6 years).  Sure enough, right behind him was my friend from high school.  They just got married  that weekend and were on their honeymoon.  We didn't have much time to talk then but we did catch up when waiting for our luggage. 
She was not at the recent high school reunion either but heard reports that the two of us are the only ones who "did not get fat".  I take comfort that I am still young and hot and they are not.
It is very strange how the only place I run into people from my past is on airplanes.  One time I saw a guy who was a flautist in my elementary band.  It made throwing up on the airplane even more embarrassing.

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Interesting Facts I Learned

1. Nose hair can be waxed (as seen on one of those reality make-over shows).
2. There was a Bollywood movie filmed in Calgary.
3. An octothorp is the symbol #. I thought it was called the pound sign.

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Great Moments in Klutziness

I stubbed my big toe and split the nail two days ago. Yesterday I stubbed the same toe again and made it way worse. It is not as bad as the great toe injury of July 2005 but pretty close.

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Singer in Disguise

Oh dear goodness, Elvis Stojko set to release debut album

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Most movie reviews include information about the rating. This was from the NY Times review of Talladega Nights:
“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Like any respectable country ballad, it has cussin’, fightin’, cheatin’ and drinkin’."

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Sad Return

I am in my hometown for the long weekend. On my way into the city, I noticed a fire just outside the city. At first it looked like a farmer burning stumble. As I entered the city dozens of police, fire trucks and ambulances were arriving on the scene. At 5:30 (and still going no where) I checked the radio and heard the news that a plane crashed. You couldn't tell from the road.
Light plane in fatal crash near Regina airport

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Ironies in Works Cited

From an email I sent yesterday:
"I'm reading this book for work called The New Evidence. He constantly uses tertiary sources and I might track him down and kick him in the nuts."

If submitted in a university class, this book would fail.

Irony of all ironies, I am reading a section of the book today called "Did the Writer Use Primary Sources?" It is about how to tell if a text is valid.

I propose that either this guy goes to the original sources or rename it The Sucky Evidence.

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Music to Change Your Oil to

I took my car in for an oil change this morning. When I dropped it off, I made a point to shut off my music. When I started my car to take it home again, I realized someone had been listening to my CD. I'm very proud of my CD, it is my first attempted at a "Get Psyched" mix. Instead of the High Fidelity formula, this CD is all rise. I'd like to think the mechanic recognized the awesomeness of my mix CD and blared it for the whole garage to hear.

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No One Ever Accused Dictionary People of Being Cool

Merriam-Webster's The Story of Phat

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MS Word must be a man...

Because only a man could frustrate me this much. The program has closed due to errors 3 times in a half hour. The first time I had not saved in awhile so it was especially frustrating.

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Perils of Sunscreen

On Sunday afternoon, I met some friends at a beach south of the city. It took me over a half hour to drive there. It was a beautiful hot, hot day.
The beach had volleyball courts but no nets. Some of my friends decided that they would fashion a net out of towels. I declined to help and instead watch this comedy of errors. Of course they didn't even consider they would not be able to see through the net. Just as they were about to finish, a wicked wind storm started and blew all their hard work away.
The wind caused the temperature dropped 14 C in about a half hour. Do you know what is not a pleasant feeling? Sand hitting you at 60+ km/h. Good thing I wore sunscreen so all the sand stuck to me. I don't think I have been so filthy since the week I pretended to bath when I was 4.
We abandoned the beach for BBQ at a friend's house. I was only at the beach for less than an hour. I spent more time in the car than at the beach.

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You have to be kidding me...

Stones add second Regina show

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Pretty Big News

On Friday, I got a teaching job. I will be teaching math, physics and chemistry at a private school. I'm a little freaked out since I have never taught chemistry before (I haven't even taken any chemistry since high school). I'll manage. I'm actually going out to visit my sister and brother in-law in Victoria next week. Chris is going to help me with unit planning and what-not.

I think there is something missing

From Wikipedia:
This image clearly shows the timeline of the Big Bang.

Sad and Lonely Janny

I found out today that a friend who was planning to move to the city is not now. I am so sad. I was so happy that finally I was going to have someone to hang out with. I'm trying my hardest not to start crying at work.

Rolling Stones in Regina

Usually as I get ready in the morning, I have a national news network on. Very rarely does a news story make up stop what I am doing and talk notice. One of the top national news stories this morning: "Rolling Stones to Play Regina". What? I must have misheard the anchor. I waited for the news story and I had heard correctly.

I checked the Canadian concert dates:
Halifax - not a huge city but known for their rockin' music scene. So not entirely unbelievable.
Regina - even smaller city than Halifax but not known for their rocking in the free world.
Vancouver - makes sense, big city and a usual stop for big name acts.

There is no stops in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton or Calgary.

I am not a Rolling Stones fan but I'm just in disbelief over this whole situation. Regina had never had this big of an act come to the city before. Good for you Regina! Show them a good time (like I know you can).

Strange Life in a Boom Town

Calgary to mark population milestone with one millionth citizen

On two separate occasions this weekend, people I have been with have started talking about how weird it is to live in Calgary. I volunteered at a homeless shelter on Saturday night and met people who had jobs but were still homeless. This is just the working poor, this is the working homeless. That is just stupid.
The other conversation was about the lack of workers in the service industry. We have certain grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants that close early because of a lack of workers. A city of a million people and I can not find a drug store open after 10 pm. My hometown has a population of over 200,000 and most are open until 12pm or open 24 hours a day. Very annoying.
Calgary is supposed to be "the promised land". What is so great about a place that can't attract workers because the cost of living is too high?

Vegetable Circus Tricks

By juggling carrots?

Image source: bbc.co.uk

When Storms are Bullied

I bet Tropical Storm Beryl was teased when he was young. The combination of pudginess, thick glasses and severe asthma made Beryl an easy target. Kids can be so cruel.

Lebanon Evacuation

From CBC News Online Photo Gallery
Those children are so precious.

Tuneless No More

I have been converting audio cassettes from the library at work into mp3 files for the last little while. Today I figured out how to listen to music and convert at the same time.

An apartheid society existed in early Anglo-Saxon Britain, research suggests.

Britain 'had apartheid society' on BBC.co.uk about why today's population is mainly of a Germanic origin.

Reunion

I heard rumours for awhile that there was a 10-year high school reunion being planned. I artfully dodged someone on the planning committee just a month ago when I was back in Regina. I figure not "knowing" about it is a good excuse not to go. About two weeks ago, she left a message with my mom asking for my mailing address. I found out today that the reunion is this Saturday. So even if I wanted to go, I couldn't -- I'm already avoiding a family reunion this weekend.
For the record, I am a little curious about what people have been up to all these years. Unfortunately none of my close friends from high school are going so I'd rather not.

Veronica Mars Season 3 Scoop

They have started press junkets promoting the new season.

Impatiently Waiting for LoVe

I found out from TV Diva Kristin that Veronica Mars' season premiere is not until Oct. 3. That is another 77 days from today. I might possibly go insane.

Get into Hoff's Car if you dare.

Law and Order: Overkill

‘Law & Order’ Meets the Law of Supply and Demand By JACQUES STEINBERG
In the TV spinoff system, the brand most in need of a shake-up is represented by Dick Wolf. This is his story.

The Camper Returns

This past weekend, my family met for our annual camping trip. All of my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from my mom's side of the family were there, 25 in all. The only person missing was my brother. We did however have a non-related Shannon there.
Thoughts on the weekend:
My aunts and uncles might start hating me for teaching my cousins Cowboy, Ninja, Bear. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Swimming amongst dead fresh water shrimp is not my idea of a good time.

Laying on the beach all day can be exhausting.

The town of Balzac never stops being funny.

JT has seen better days...

"What's that sonny? There's gold in dem there hills?"

Can We Say "Fugly"?

There are certain people in my life that I don't care too much how I look when I am around them. Maybe it is better to say I am not concerned. I should really know better; it always seems you run into the people you want to look good for when you look like a train wreck. The only saving grace is being oblivious to how crappy you look and realizing it later.

Pillow time Again

I am so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open. It certainly does not help that I was working on database entry. Maybe eating some more and caffeine would help? Being sick at work sucks. I don't want to go home because I booked off Friday from work weeks ago for a family camping trip.

Ugh

Sorry for the lack of posting. I feel like I have been apologising a lot for that lately. I was gone last week and this week I've been sick. Less sick from something I caught and more allergies acting up.
I have a diet where I am supposed to eat certain foods in a four day rotation, making sure I have all the foods I'm allergic to at least once a week. Unfortunately I was at a family church camp last week where I have little control over the food that is available. This and the combination of stress has cause me to be sick by anything I eat. Good times when you have to choose between going hungry or being sick. To conclude, I am so the geek at the party.

I'll try to post more today.

News Articles I Found Interesting

I was away from the computer last week. This morning I was catching up on the news articles I missed.

From BBC News:
Stroke gives woman foreign accent

From The New York Times:
At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust
Old Media, Not New, Is World Cup Winner

Day 45 without Internet...

I might simply go insane. I still don't have Internet at my apartment. The modem was ordered over 3 weeks ago and it was supposed to be here 2 weeks ago. So answer your question, yes the only blogging I've done in the last month and a half has been at work.

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Strange Dream

Last night I had a dream that I was staying in a hotel suite with Ky and Amanda. Suddenly about 50 people I know came over just about the time we were going to check out and no one would leave. People upstairs were filling out forms for Canada Post. The room was completely silent becuase people had to concentrate so hard. I went downstairs and there was a bunch of guys watching a movie called 28 27 29 (not a real movie just a made up one in my dream). A lot of the movies weren't labeled so I got a marker and started guessing what movie it was. The guys got mad it me for that. I told you it was a strange dream. All though it is not as strange as dream I had about playing beach volleyball with my sister, parents and elderly grandmother.

I swear it is a different Janice

I was reading Ultratart this morning when this sentence caught my eye:
"But, you know, way to go, Janice: bringing hot naked dudes in underwear to the American public. It is about time. Bless you. You are doing God's work."

My honest response was "I didn't do that". Does it make me self-centred to not consider that there maybe other Janices in this world?

World Cup Sadness

I wanted Italy to win (mostly for the sake of my fantasy football team) but I feel so bad for Austraila's goalkeeper. He looks so sad because he knows with only seconds left in the game there is no way they can win.

From Greeks to Majorettes

Two events of note from this weekend:
1) Late Saturday night, I saw two teenage boys walking down the street in togas.
2) Yesterday some people from my church went to sing at a nursing home. After I finished reading a verse instead of shutting off the microphone, I pushed a button that produced a drum roll.

If you haven't already seen it, you need to check out
Wes Anderson's American Express Ad.
Simply brilliant but you may only find it funny if you have seen his movies.

Another Random Celebrity Trio

I like to imagine the kind of conversations Shirley MacLaine, Mischa Barton and Kevin Spacey. It scares me that Kevin Spacey seems to be the most normal of the bunch.

I'm not sure it can beat last year's Johaniven grouping.

corey^2

It was only a matter of time before it happened...Two Coreys Together Again.

Stanley Cup Fun

I was at a wedding this evening so I missed tonight's hockey game. I got home I was checking out NHL.com for the recap when a link caught my eye...Stanley Cup having lunch with Kurt Russell

That is Not Natural

Nothing says World Cup like a romance between a lion and a soccer ball.

Two hearts as one? Sweet berry princess! What is wrong with the Germans (host of the World Cup)?

Quick Questionaire

1. What is the best line ever from a song?
"But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight -- Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight" - Bruce Cockburn "Lovers in a Dangerous Time"

A shoutout for my favourite of the moment:
"I really love your hairdo yeah/ I'm glad you like mine too/ See where lookin' pretty cool will get ya" - The Dandy Warhols "Bohemian like You"

2. From a movie?
"Never underestimate the predicatiblity of stupidity"
Sntach (2000)

3. What color underwear are you wearing right now?
white and pink

4. What book is currently on your night stand?
Euclid's Window by Leonard Mlodinow

5. Are you living up to your potential?
No, I am not.

6. Complete the following sentence: I can't wait to:
Go to sleep tonight. I have people coming over tonight so it was a mad dash to finish unpacking and clean last night. I went to bed late then had to get up early today.

7. Your major in college?
Secondary Math Education

8. Plans for this weekend?
Going back to Regina for a wedding. On Friday I will travel there and spend time with my brother in the evening. On Saturday morning, I will help with the bouquets/visit my sister. Saturday evening is the wedding. Sunday is the first Father's Day in about 6 years that I will be able to have dinner with my family.

Birthday Road Trip #1

I can't believe I have not had time to write about this until now, this happened nearly 3 weeks ago. Anyway, late news is better than no news.

I worked 13 hours on Saturday and was ready for a much needed break. Sunday was my friend's birthday and the plan was to go out to his dad's cabin for the day.

We all met at my friends house so we could car pool out to the cabin since it was about an hour away. When we were deciding who was going with who, I was told that I was going in the vehicle that had to pick up someone on our way out of town. A couple problems with that situation:
1) The driver was not told that he had to pick anyone up and I mentioned after we left.
2) No one knew how where this guy lived that we had to pick up.
3) When we phone the birthday boy for directions, they were wrong
4) When we called the guy we were picking up for directions once we realized we were lost, he gave us the wrong house number.
All of this resulted in us leaving the city over an hour later than we were supposed.

After for traveling for about an hour, we realized that we had missed a turn off. The only person who knew the way was reading and not paying attention.

We had a lot of fun traveling. Lots of "car dancing", Oiler flag waving and funny conversations. The driver even invented a new dance which I believe he calls "Feeding the Baby".

Am I the Only One Who Finds this Funny?

Yesterday I went to a meeting downtown and walked past an office belonging to "Chuck Morris". I pointed it out to my boss and he didn't get why it was funny. this man is an honest to goodness Walker, Texas Ranger fan and he didn't find it amusing that the guy was named Chuck Morris.

To celebrate the occasion, we need Walker, Texas Ranger Clips from Conan.

P.S. There was also a cubicle for a person named Pinky Heirs.

Quote of the Day

"That's good pancreas music."
DR. WILLIAM B. INABNET, a surgeon who plays the Red Hot Chili Peppers during operations.

All the kids are doing it

I decided when ever I get upset I'm going to yell "Sweet berry princess!" It works, trust me. You should try it.

Fashionably Pregnant

I knew there was a reason I was not married yet. God knows me so well. He knew I needed the assurance of fashionable maternity clothes before I could even consider it.
Showing? It's Time to Show Off

Is this thing on?

Sorry, I have not been able to log on forf two days.

Alright, alright, I'll update my blog

I know I have not updated in awhile but it is difficult when I do not have Internet access at home. The only time I have Internet access during the day is at work. (Shhhhh, don't tell my boss I'm blogging at work).

In other news, I rule at html. I could not figure out why all the text on my blog was suddenly centered. I thought it was the new program I use to post blogs. It turns out it was bad html in the Snatch quiz I posted. I didn’t even think to check it until last night.

So what has happened in my life since I last posted?

Things have really quieted down since the health conference is over. From the stand point of the attendees, board members and speakers, things went smoothly. From my stand point, not so smoothly. I had to deal with
- a stage that was two feet higher than it was supposed to be
- catering crew that never brought things out on time
- site coordinator that was not on-site
- set up crew who lost their schedule so missed a stage change
Really the worse thing that happened in the day is that some people had to wait a couple minutes for their lunch. Also we had to take an extra break due to the stage set up not being complete. I’m just glad it is done.

I mostly have been unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes at home. When I am not unpacking boxes I am either sleeping or at work. I am rather proud of myself that I sort through all of my school stuff last week (which is a monumental task). Last night I finished organizing my kitchen. Tonight I’ll be able to finish organizing my bedroom.

Lots more to catch up on later. Next up: Birthday road trips!

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Oilers heading to the Finals

On April 19, I predicted that the Edmonton Oilers would be the Canadian hockey team that would do the best in the Stanley Cup playoffs. So for all of you nay-sayers (***cough, cough, Derek***), I was right.

Unheralded Oilers Reach Cup Finals

A quick explanation to my reasoning (for sport and non-sport fans alike):
1) The Oilers do not depend on one or a couple high profile players. Their success comes from playing well as a team.
2) If Detroit (in top place in the league) couldn't stop them, no one could.
3) They had to work crazy hard to just make it to the playoffs. This work ethic carried into the playoffs.

I am a proud Montreal Canadiens fan so my analysis was not clouded by loyalty of any kind. I do admit I have been cheering for the Oilers so my prediction would be right. The coolest thing about this whole thing is that I found out that people I know have been talking about my prediction. These were people that I mentioned to in passing over a month ago. I really didn't think they were listening to me.

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Awesome Sandwich

I had roast chicken sandwich with cranberries and melted havarti. I rule.

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Road Trip complete with 13 year olds

This past weekend I drove 3 13 year olds to a church camp in Saskatchewan and back again. The trip there was pretty good with the exception of the girl who would loudly proclaim "I'm bored" the second a conversation ended. the trip home was a different story...
I thought we were doing pretty good for time. We left the camp about 2 hours earlier than I had told the parents we would. There was a huge line of traffic right before the bridge to get to the highway. As we waited about 9 cops cars past us. We figured it was a really bad accident up ahead.
After about a half hour, a police officer directed us to drive on the shoulder to pass. As we approached the bridge we saw that protesters had blocked the road. Later I heard that other people had to wait more than an hour to get past.
My biggest mistake of the trip was letting the boys have two ice cappuccinos. Apparently 13 year olds who are barely 5 feet should not have that much caffeine. Being a teacher, I should have known better.

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Trumpet Blast from the Past

Yesterday, on my way home from work, I was behind 3 buses from Saskatchewan. I thought that was pretty cool. Then I realized that there were high school band and choir students on the buses from my old high school! Bizarre. Every year the band and choir take a trip and leave the Wednesday before the Victoria Day Weekend and return on Saturday night.
Note: For those who do not know me, I live 8 hours away from my hometown. This is why it is so surprising to see buses from my high school.

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Feelin Hot, Hot, Hot

I know I have not updated in awhile but I don't have Internet at home yet.
The last couple days it has been so busy at work, I've only been able to dedicate about a couple hours a night to unpack. I almost have the kitchen unpacked but for the rest of the rooms I still have a long way to go.
This afternoon I had a meeting downtown. The fellow employee I went to the meeting with decided to stay and visit a friend who works downtown. It is 28C right now. I walked to the train from the office building (less than 10 minutes), waited outside for the train to arrive (about 5 minutes), rode the non-air conditioned train (about 20 minutes) and walked back to the office (about 15 minutes). I get all the way back to the office and I realize that my fellow employee has my keys and no one in the office. I am locked outside in hot weather and I had run out of water while I was walking downtown. I won't tell you how but I broke into the building.

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Busy as a Bee Janny

I was relatively productive today but unfortunately little had to do with my job. Found out a bunch of information about everything that I have to change over because I moved to a new province. I found the first things I needed to do was get a phone number and a driver's licence.

It was quite a long process to get my licence. After filling in all of my information the lady had to test my eyes. After testing my eyes, the lady discovered I should have a restriction on my licence saying that I should always wear glasses to drive. So we had to fill the forms out all over again. As I sat and waited for her to process the paperwork it occurred to me "Maybe I should have brushed my hair before I came here." I will never complain my previous photo ID again. I was in such a rush to get my errands done before work it did not occur to me to look halfway decent because I was going to get my picture taken.

The first picture the guy took of me, my eyes were closed and I was in the middle of saying something. It was so bad the guy was doubled over with laughter. He noted that he needs to start a wall of bad licence photos. Wow, every woman's dream is to have a man laugh at how horrible she looks in a picture. The second picture was better but still fit to burn. Nothing I can do about it. I wish my purse never was stolen years ago. I was keeping my old university ID picture because I looked super hot in it. I always wished they could just take and use that picture.

Funny thing over heard while I was filling out my forms at 2:30 pm:
Employee 1 (as she was leaving): See ya
Employee 2: Wouldn't want to be ya
Employee 1: What?
Employee 2: Haven't you ever heard that saying before?
Employee 1: No [awkward silence and then with hesitation] Well I hope you have a good sleep.

(Funny side note: The first time I typed the title I accidentally had "Busty as a Bee Janny". that of course is an entirely different topic.)

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Amanda's Dad's boyfriend quits band

Sum 41 guitarist quits band to focus on new project: reports

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Things are Looking Up

This morning I woke up and my headache was gone. What a relief!

There were two notable ads in the paper for basement suites that appealed to me. The first one is walking distance from work and the C-Train (which I often take to get to meetings downtown). I spoke with the owner on the phone and he was so sweet. Just from our conversation he told me I sounded like the kind of person he wanted as a tenant. This was a positive sign. The place even has a dishwasher. I gave my number and he was going to contact the current tenant to figure out a time the suite could be viewed and call me back.

The second place is in a very nice neighbourhood. I could barely understand the man due to a thick French accent. He didn't tell me much about the place. The suite is a little farther away but I could still walk to work. He told me to come over at 7:30 PM to look at the place.

It was getting to be later in the afternoon and I still had not heard back from the first man. I was getting antsy. I did not want to miss this opportunity. I waited until after 5 PM and then called back. I left a message. He called me back a couple minutes later and the only time they had available was 7:30! I decided I was just not going to go to the other place.

I arrived at the apartment and the owners were so nice. The place was in excellent condition but so small. When I was there I thought I could fit all of my stuff in there. I traveled home a pit in my stomach started to grow. What was I going to do with all of my teaching stuff? I don't have a classroom yet. What do I do with it in the meantime?

I had not even see the other place and I had missed my other appointment. I wasn't at the first place for very long so I thought I could arrive late to the other place. I looked at the map and the street it was on was in about 4 parts. I could not figure out what part it was on so I went home.

I told my cousin about how small the suite is. She encouraged me to keep on looking. I told her I skipped out on my other appointment. She encourage me to call them back and see if I could still come. I called and sure enough they said it was ok. I was really hoping that it would not count against me.

The place is so cute and it is ready to move into now! The living room and kitchen have laminate flooring. All the walls have ledges to put pictures or knickknacks on. It was bigger than most of the places I had looked at recently. I asked if I could fill out an application. They didn't want me to fill out an application, they want to talk with me. We visited for about 20 minutes. I left with a very good feeling about the apartment and the owners.

Later that evening, the owners of the second place called to tell me that I could have the place if I was still interested. I went over this evening and filled out the papers, gave my damage deposit and got a key. My cousin and some friends came over with me to check out the place. They were planning how I was supposed to arrange my furniture.

Originally the movers were supposed to bring my stuff to Calgary this weekend. I had to call them back to tell them about my change of plans. I'll call them tomorrow to see if I can still get it sent this weekend.

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The Headache that would NEVER End

Last Thursday evening I started to get a bad headache. I was supposed to work but I was too ill. It continued into Friday and I only worked a couple hours. I was feeling better by Friday evening. I was fine on Saturday but then I had another headache on Sunday evening. I have had this headache ever since.

The medical term for what I have is migraine with aura. Apparently the numbness in my fingertips and pain on one side of my face is not unusual. I was just a little freaked out since I have different symptoms than in the past. What used to work in the past has not been working now. At best, my headache gets better but is never gone.

I have not worked much this past week. I try to work but it is useless. The lights are too bright, every noise is too loud, etc. It is generally agonizing to be anywhere but in my room with the lights off.

In unrelated disappointing news, I was at work this evening when a friend who lives over seas came online. He was only able to chat for a minute. He was on long enough to say hi and say he had to go.

I need something good to happen in my life.

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What Age Do You Act?

You Are 13 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

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Please Forgive the Mess... I Just Moved In

I'm still getting used to Blogger so there will be many changes in the coming weeks. I want to edit the template and organize the links.

Welcome to the Dark Side

I have given into to peer pressure.  I will be posting to a new blog http://jannymarie.blogspot.com in addition to http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/janny/blog

I got this new program that allows me to post to multiple blogs.

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Homeless

I looked at two apartments yesterday. One place was great and the other a disaster. Later in the day I got a call that the first place was taken. The management company told me that my application was not rejected, rather it came down to the other guy called about the place first.
I was so stressed out I got another headache. This is 4 out of 5 days having a headache. This one is one is making me feel nauseated.

Rental Dysfunction

Words really cannot describe how upset I am right now. This morning I got the key for my new place. This evening I was told that the rent agreement had to be changed. Now the amount we agreed on before would only be temporary until some needed improvements are made. After that time the rent would be way more than I could afford by myself. The movers are scheduled to come in a week. There is no way I can move to this place by myself, there is no guarantee that I will find a roommate. I feel so betrayed, these people are supposed to be my friends. I already had a stressful enough week ahead of me because of work now I have this to deal with.

Alternative Management Theories

Do you work in an office? Do you have a boss? Do you have a sense of humour? Check out Addressing Complaints from the people who brought you Demotivators.

Idle Hands are Sloan's Playground

The boys from Sloan were goofing around on a day off last summer and this video was the result:
The Search for Jay

The Ultimate Internet Mind Virus

One of my greatest pet peeves in life is what is referred to as mind viruses.
"These messages all have one thing in common: they contain compelling messages, or memes, that grab our attention and persuade us to pass them on. These memes play on our fear of loss, or embarrassment, or appeal to us with promises of sex or money or good luck. Some of messages make us feel good about ourselves because we believe that by passing on a plea for help or signing a petition, we're doing a good deed."

Here is what you can send to people if they send you one of these forwards:

The Ultimate Internet Mind Virus
I know this guy whose neighbor, a young man, was home recovering from having been served a rat in his bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. So anyway, one day he went to sleep and when he awoke he was in his bathtub and it was full of ice and he was sore all over. When he got out of the tub he realized that HIS KIDNEY HAD BEEN STOLEN and he saw a note on his mirror that said "Call 911!" but he was afraid to use his phone because it was connected to his computer, and there was a virus on his computer that would destroy his hard drive if he opened an email entitled "Join the crew!"

He knew it wasn't a hoax because he himself was a computer programmer who was working on software to save us from Armageddon when the year 2000 rolls around. His program will prevent a global disaster in which all the computers get together and distribute the $600 Nieman-Marcus cookie recipe under the leadership of Bill Gates (It's true--I read it all last week in a mass email from BILL GATES HIMSELF, who was also promising me a free Disneyworld Vacation and $5,000 if I would forward the email to everyone I know).

The poor man then tried to call 911 from a pay phone to report his missing kidney, but reaching into the coin-return slot he got jabbed with an HIV-infected needle around which was wrapped a note that said "Welcome to the world of AIDS."

Luckily he was only a few blocks from the hospital--the very one where that little boy who is dying of cancer is, the one whose last wish is for everyone in the world to send him an email and the American Cancer Society has agreed to pay him a nickel for every email he receives. I sent him two emails and one of them was a bunch of X's and O's in the shape of an angel (if you get it and forward it to twenty people you will have good luck but ten people only will give you OK luck and if you send it to less than ten people you will have bad luck FOR SEVEN YEARS!)

So anyway the poor guy tried to drive himself to the hospital, but on the way he noticed another car driving along without its lights on. To be helpful, he flashed his lights and was promptly shot as part of a gang initiation.

And it's a little-known fact that the Y1K problem caused the Dark Ages.

(author unknown)

Stories from the week

I am so proud of myself. This week I went out for sushi with friends and I did not feel like a fraud. I can use chopsticks well enough that I had no problems at all. Yeah me! I ate so much. It was all you can eat and for the price you better believe I was going to eat all I could.

I've had a headache since yesterday before supper. I was at a conference all day yesterday and it started right after it finished. I have been pretty useless. I only worked about half a day. The headache is not gone but at least it has improved to the point I can be functional.