Assessed for Street Repairs

Unfortunately, "assessed for street repairs" doesn't just happen in Monopoly. It is - apparently - one of the many joys of homeownership.

What the city doesn't tell you in all of the very lengthy paperwork and meetings about street repairs is that you may wake up to find this in your front yard.

This funny for several reasons.

1. Ten days ago (when the construction started) the outhouse was at the western corner of our block. I pointed it out to Brad and celebrated that it wasn't in our yard.
2. Today, at 7 AM, the outhouse was at the eastern corner of our block. Yes. That's right. They moved it one block.
3. Today, at about 9 AM, I got a text from Brad pointing out that I had, in fact, jinxed us. The outhouse was in our front yard.
4. Brad didn't realize I had gone outside to capture this oh-so-memorable moment. When I came back in the front door, he said, "Were you just taking a crap in the outhouse?"
5. We considered prettying up the outhouse for the construction workers. Adding some flowers, maybe a can of air freshener or some nice TP.

Yup. That's my house. Bet no one else has a photo like this for their Project Life.

9 things for 9 days

I have no idea where the last nine days of my life went. Does that ever happen to you? I'm confident I have been doing lots of things. I just can't seem to remember what any of them were.

So, here's a recap list.

9 THINGS for 9 DAYS

ONE. I picked out a new make-up bag. I've never actually bought a make-up bag before; I've always just relied on the tacky bags that come with free gifts from Clinique. It seems a little odd that I would need a make-up bag to begin with, as I barely have any make-up - let alone enough make-up to necessitate a bag. It sure is cute, though.

TWO. It has been ridiculously warm here - until today. These were taken last Saturday. Yes. Children in the sprinkler on March 18.

THREE. The aforementioned ridiculously warm weather necessitated the inaugural pedicure of summer 2012.

FOUR. There has been lots of eating out - insane amounts of eating out, to be exact. I won't go into the details. It's a little embarrassing, actually.

Wait. Maybe I should give you some details. There was: Italian at a local restaurant with a friend, Japanese steakhouse for a friend's birthday, sushi, deep dish pizza, Mexican (x 2), cupcakes, an embarrassing amount of Easter candy, and fish fry with ice cream for dessert.

FIVE. A big work-related project (in the works since Spring 2011) is officially finished and being marketed. I'm giddy about it and so proud and so very humbled. I don't talk much about work here, but I'm so proud of this. I loved watching other people see it for the first time. I smiled for days.

SIX. Someday I would like to take a sabbatical just to read. I have piles of unread books - adult books, young adult books, and many, many books about teaching. I have no idea how I will ever read them.

SEVEN.  I found this gem on my camera today. I look at it and my heart melts. Seriously. Melts. I don't know how my mama friends do it. How does your heart not just over-flow with love every single day making it impossible for you to get anything else done? And, why has it never occurred to me to eat ice cream in my underwear. That boy is a genius.

EIGHT.  I've been enjoying television a bit much lately. Weeds, Season 7. Downton Abbey, Episodes 1 - 4. The return of Mad Men (deserves a post of its own). Friends re-runs (Nick @ Night at bedtime)

NINE. I want need to cook dinner at home sometime soon (see FOUR). Brad did make me this last Sunday.

I'm thinking about making:

Chicken with Green Olive, Caper, and Lemon Relish

Chopped Salad

Steak with Drunken Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

Christmas Pasta

And, I do solemnly swear to be a better blogger.

Leaping.

Taken from LookyLoo on Etsy

I recently took a professional leap. I leaped for a lot of different reasons, some of them superficial (like a slightly shorter commute and a larger paycheck) and some of them more serious (like needing to be in an environment where people believe in me). 

Today I finished my first week in my new job, and I just need to say that the leap has turned out to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated.

Taken from Anthony Burrill

I am in the business of change. I have two master's degrees that are - at least in part - about coaching and guiding people and organizations through the change process. I understand that change takes time and that we grow most when we are uncomfortable. I expected (and was looking forward to) my leap being incredibly challenging.

 

Yet, somehow there have been many aspects of this leap that I didn't anticipate.

I had no idea how difficult it would be to leave my old job. I spent most of my last day crying. I see many things that remind me of my colleagues and am still thinking of random tasks to add to my to-do list that I should have finished for / with them. I feel an incredible sense of guilt; I worry that I abandoned them. I question the relationships I developed with them. Did I enable too much and coach too little? Did I create a relationship where they relied on me instead of themselves? Did I not let them be independent?

 

I forgot what it's like to not know the routine. This one really surprised me. My job is rarely the same two days in a row; there is really nothing routine about it. I prided myself on being flexible, allocating my time where it was needed on any given day.

 

In retrospect, I realize that I developed a lot of rituals and habits to build consistency and organization into my day. Now that I am in a new place - a place where I work in three different classrooms without a real "home" - it is incredibly difficult to re-establish those rituals and habits. I am floundering without them, actually. Today I found myself longing for my red stapler, my desk-top incline file, and my basket of jumbo paperclips.

Taken from Pinterest (an illustration by Heads of State)

I am super-conscious of things that I didn't do well with during my first months at my last job. I am making an effort to not jump to conclusions or make judgments about people or issues. I am trying to take the time to form personal relationships and build trust. I am avoiding gossip and drama. I am getting to know kids. I am trying not to sit behind my desk when having conversations with people. I am trying to make friends; I actually asked someone when they ate lunch to not have to eat alone. I am being professional but still being myself. I am making careful wardrobe choices.

Taken from The Notebook Doodles

I am so glad, though, that I took this leap. After only five years, I was so comfortable in my last job that I didn't even realize how comfortable I was. I slipped deeply and quickly into habits and complacency and confidence. I forgot what it was like to feel unsure and to take big risks and to be different. Yet, these are very things that I ask my colleagues to do each and every day in our work together.

This was a healthy leap for me.

 

But, I am exhausted. And filled with doubt. And not feeling productive. And lonely. And frustrated. And trying hard to remember that I did the right thing.

Friday 5. Stolen.

I am taking this idea (shamelessly) from Sarah.

one.
I saw ALL of my "kids" this week. Henry and Miri were here on Sunday. I visited Natalie, Katelyn, and Jonathan on Tuesday. Wednesday was dinner and playtime with AJ. Thursday I snuck in a few hugs and high-fives with Luke and Dottie. I'm a lucky, lucky "auntie."

two.
I locked my keys, purse, and cell phone in my car on Thursday. I used to have key-related incidents all the time. One time I even threw them in a dumpster.  It's been years since I have really had a key-related issue. I broke my streak on Thursday, though. Luckily, my AAA knight-in-shining armor (he was actually wearing impossibly tight black skinny jeans and black leather moccasins instead of armor) rescued me in less than 30 minutes.

three.
I started listening to Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. I love it. It reminds me of Kitchen Confidential. It reminds me of A Homemade Life. It reminds me of Tender at the Bone. It makes me hungry. It makes me laugh.

four.
Summer television is miserable. Don't get me wrong. I'm looking forward to the return of Entourage and True Blood and Hung. I am, however, devastated that Mad Men will not be returning until March 2012.

five.
I am actually, in a weird sort of way, looking forward to grocery shopping for next week. Brad has been away for work, and I have been going out instead of cooking for one. It will be fun to pick out some recipes, snag some summer produce, and eat at home.

Wednesday Babbling

Digital elements from Designer Digitals and Two Peas in a Bucket



1.
Brad is away for work the next couple of weeks. Today he sent me a camera-phone picture of the cheese section at Whole Foods and a text about how amazing all the cheese was. I wasn't sure whether to love him for knowing me well enough to know this would make me smile or be completely jealous of the fact that he was oogling the Whole Foods cheese section while I was working.


2.
People should need to take some sort of certification class before entering a round-about. There are two of them near my house and more near my work. They aren't particularly new. Yet, people seem to have no idea how to safely navigate them. Yesterday, I was almost hit by a bus who assumed I was exiting. Last week, I barely avoided an unfortunate collision with a colleague on his way home from the grocery store.

3.
I made an appointment today for my first all-over color. July 5th is the day I will officially begin using all-over color (instead of just highlights) to hide the gray.

4.
I hate (all) exercise and love (almost all) food. I would like to blame my parents for this. Clearly, these are not inherited dispositions. However, my parents show their love with food and praised me for academics and music instead of athletic prowess. Instead of taking responsibility for my unhealthy and sloth-like ways, I choose to blame my parents.

5.
Summer television is terrible! It's only the second week of June, and I am already tired of re-runs and new summer shows. I am excited for Entourage and True Blood, but I'm also devastated about Mad Men. And, really I need more than one evening of the week to look forward to.

Career Change?

One thing that education programs (aka teacher school) did not prepare me for is the end of the school year.

We learned lots about how to establish routines, build relationships, and prepare a classroom during the FIRST weeks of school. And, of course, you hear about the glorious weeks off during the summer (something I've yet to really fully experience as my summers tend to - by my choice - be filled with professional development and other teaching "stuff").

You don't hear about the last few weeks of school, though. The last few weeks of school are the deep, dark secret of the teaching world. They are a time when kids and adults are thinking, primarily, about summer. They are a time when shorts are short, middle school kids need to reminded about personal hygiene, and shirts for boys and girls alike suddenly become sleeveless. They are a time when teachers are especially on edge about everything that still needs to be taught, classrooms that need to be cleaned, and assessments that need to be completed.

So, today (after determining that there are only 17 days of school left) I tried to beat the stress by imagining alternate careers. It turns out that I have a whole lot of education and am qualified to do basically nothing besides work in education.

But, look at me! Don't I look responsible and smart and ready to hire!??!!??

Anyway, after careful thinking and some consultation with colleagues I was able to come up with a few career alternatives - places I could really find success if this whole teaching thing doesn't work out for me after all.

Option 1. Professional Critic.
You name it - I criticize it. I would, for a nominal fee, be willing to offer my opinions on all sorts of things. Simply contact me with the person, place, idea, or thing that you would like criticized. Please note, I am not willing to offer opinions on diet plans, exercise equipment, or fitness-related things.

Option 2. Not-your-ordinary Life Coach
I will gladly provide you with one-on-one coaching sessions. You tell me about your triumphs and struggles, and I will ask you questions designed to help you develop the skills you need to independently live a happy life. You may be thinking that this option is in direct opposition to option one. Who wants a life coach that is also a professional critic?!!?? My life coaching services would be sort of like Ed Debevic's - it would be a tell-it-as-it-is approach to life coaching. Don't come to me for coddling, feel-good coaching. Come to me when you want honest perspective. People seem to love the lady on Biggest Loser who is always screaming at people. My approach to life coaching would be a lot like that (minus the dieting and working out).

Option 3. Reality TV Star
My show would be called I'm a Millionaire. The network lucky enough to get my show will give me one million dollars. They would also give a friend of my choosing one million dollars. We would each, independent of each other, create a budget to spend all of the money over the course of an entire television season. Viewers may even have the opportunity to occasionally vote when each of the "contestants" are faced with difficult decisions. People across the nation and world would be captivated by our choices and the speed at which we are able to spend the money. I could even teach the nation some valuable lessons about the dangers of not budgeting your money well. ;)

So, friends. If you could choose / design / invent a new career for yourself what would it be?
Shoot for the stars!