Cat Blog Friday

A Royal Update...

I'm in love with my new dog. He's so sweet and I let him sleep in my bedroom last night. He calmly slept on the floor while the cat was at the foot of my bed... no fighting or anything. Maybe he's been around cats in the past?

Today I came home from school and Royal was really sluggish and slow... he had a vet appointment and I had to rush to get him in the car and take him there, and I noticed that he didn't seem to be feeling well.

As I was turning into the vet's office, I clipped the curb with the back tire of my car, and I heard this loud hissssssssssssssssssssss sound. "SHOOT!" I muttered, pulling in to the parking spot. As we were waiting in the vet's office and I was trying to locate a tow truck and tire shop that could replace my tire, I realize that my new dog was definitely sick. He lay there in the vet's office with his head on the floor, even amidst the cats and dogs walking past him... a passerby commented that he looked "gloomy."

Yep, he had a 104-degree fever, and dogs should be around 102. We've started antibiotics and I hope he starts feeling like himself soon. I'm sad that my dog feels so crummy; it's almost painful for me. It's obvious in the way that he kind of shuffles around the house without too much movement.

To solve the tire issue, I found that Pep Boys was open until 9:00. I had the car towed there, walked the dog home slowly and then had friends whom I had dinner plans with pick me up and then drop me off to get my car.

My day has not been as planned, but I feel that it was incredibly rich. I have a beautiful dog. I got to take an unplanned autumn walk this afternoon. I have loving friends who had me over for dinner, and they helped me end my day with laughter. And... tomorrow is Jeans Day at school. :-)

Meet Royal

I am so giddy. My new dog is sleeping downstairs in his crate as I type this. I found him at the Humane Society today and fell in love... he's a Labrador Retriever/German Shepherd mix. He has been introduced to the cat (while on a leash) and was curious, but not aggressive.

Cleo is FREAKED out. I feel bad for her. She continues to stand at the top of the stairs to make sure that the dog is still in the crate and has not escaped.

I know it's not the right thing to say but I am just in love with Royal already. He has been affectionate and cuddly with me since I met him- and very calm. I took him to PetSmart to get some quick supplies this evening and he stayed right with me- I had strangers tell me how well-behaved and polite my dog was. (I wish I could take the credit!) So far, so good!

More dog updates later... I am exhausted.

More Photo Blogging

This is Scully, a German Shepherd and I'm going to go check her out tomorrow at the Humane Society. She is beautiful, isn't she? In my heart I really want to rescue a dog from being euthanized or kept in a pen for months and months, but it's a little scary to just blindly take home a pet when you don't know its background. I called today and tried to pry some information out of a woman on the phone, but I guess you never really can tell much about an animal that's been found as a stray. I find myself praying for a strong "gut feeling" when I see her- a clue to whether she is what I want. If I do take her home tomorrow, I'll have a 2 week trial period in which I can slowly and safely introduce her to my cat... I just don't want to take chances when it comes to Cleo. I'll keep you guys updated on how the visit goes.

Anyway... you're thinking now, 'Why doesn't Sarah just go to bed?' I had a reputation back-in-the-college-day for being an insomniac... which wasn't exactly true. It sounded more cool than "girl who hates to go settle down and sleep." Was I studying? No! I would stay up until sunrise at times, talking with other like-minded folks in our lobby, doing and saying the sorts of things you couldn't get away with in the daytime. It was a grand meeting of souls and minds and there may have to be a more complex post (soon) on this secret society of night-dwellers. I sometimes feel a little like reliving that and having all the fun I can when I'm supposed to be in bed sleeping.

Letter to My First Digital Camera

Dear hp photosmart 318,

You were hip, sleek, and oh-so cutting edge when I bought you for $200 in 2001. I captured so many things with you:

The Olympic flame that came through CO

My first pets on my own.

Three different class pets in 4 years

My first (town)home

My very first cat and her crazy ex-roommate.

You have served your purpose , dear hp photosmart 318, but frankly, I'm going through rubber bands and AA batteries like crazy just to keep our relationship alive. And... there's someone else. His name is Kodak EasyShare C340. I'm sorry to tell you this way, but we're very happy and I think we're in love. I wish only the best for you.

Sarah

The beautiful homemade pesto and whole wheat linguine I made this weekend. Mmmm...

Blog Etiquette

Tell me this-

Is it bad manners to post something on a stranger's blog? Because I don't know that many people with blogs, and I tend to discover cool ones all the time. I do have a lot of time on my hands, and I like to let people others know if I appreciate their writing, taste in music, or even pictures of their chinchilla.

This strange thing happened this weekend- I found a cool blog and I commented on it. Twice. I checked back today to see if my comment had been commented on, and both of mine had been deleted! Just like that! It makes me feel like I did something wrong by commenting. I'd like to think that it was a mistake; that maybe this blogger hit the wrong key (twice). After all, I myself deleted a post that I had made this weekend, and apparently the comment with it as well (sorry Vaughan- I did get the comment via e-mail, though!).

My impression is that if someone posts pictures and stories of their life online with comment options, they are open to the idea of strangers looking at and sharing their experiences. I hope that this is right.

Brainstorming

My class earned a party by filling up their marble jar (I drop in a few every time they're being angels!). This is the list of ideas we came up with. I didn't want to lose all of these creative gems for the NEXT time they earn a party, so I simply photographed it. The class really liked the fact that I took a picture of the board.

Sidenote: Extra recess won this time by a large margin.

Cat Blog Friday

All right, I love the pics of cats that I see on Ali's site, so I'm starting a Cat Blog Friday ritual myself. I'll need to get a new camera soon- you'll notice that all of my photos are old. (I'll post that sad story soon.) This picture was taken a while back of Cleo- one of my favorite photos.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm so relieved that it's here...

Field Day

Today at school we held Field Day- the first one to occur in September instead of May. Anyone who's familiar with my part of the country knows that spring/early summer means lots and lots of afternoon rain, so they decided that fall weather would be more predictable.

So, wow- what a great day. I was expecting to not enjoy myself as much as spring Field Days, simply because the weather wasn't as warm and you don't have that 'Yea- the year's almost over!' feeling you do in May. However, I had a great time... I got to know a lot of my class better (yes, we're still bonding and learning to appreciate each other and work together as a whole) and I feel like I have some fantastic memories as a result. I also have some killer sore hamstrings, due to a few intense 50-meter dash races and an ongoing long jump rivalry.

I have always competed in Field Day alongside my class (well, not exactly competed, but more like "played along"). One of the few simple joys of teaching, though, is that when you compete against another adult in front of the kids, they really think you are the most incredible athlete in the world, and they cheer for you with vigor! One of my teaching partners last year barely squeaked by me in the 50-meter dash, so I demanded a re-match. This year- I crossed the line just ahead of her. So much fun...

Also, when we do the relays, I jumped in on a team that had a lot of slower kids- I ran one leg and ended up helping them win 2nd place ribbons... one kid who's not very athletic at all said with extreme pride, "My first red ribbon ever!"

One funny story... at the end of the day, we do a cross country run, around our school field. They dismiss one class at a time to run, then greet them with popsicles at the finish. So I started running with my class when all of the sudden I practically tripped over a kid who looked to be about 3 years old, walking on the pathway. I stopped to help him up, when he started walking the opposite direction, toward the stampede of kids behind us. What does a gal do??? I grabbed him, picked him up out the of the way, and set him on the sidelines. I felt like such a hero. I tried to find who he belonged to, but I had to run on with my class. I bet some parent on the sidelines was saying, 'Why is that teacher touching my child?'... but I just got scared and saw horrible things if he was in the pathway of 100 3rd-graders.

Awesome day today. These kids and their senses of humor make my recent breakup seem a little more distant.

Justice, Mercy, Humility

For some strange reason I've been thinking of this verse tonight (as I ironed, no less):

Micah 6:8: 'He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.'

Justice, mercy, humility. Very cool.

On a Lighter Note...

My brother and me with our mom. I liked this photo and wanted to post it, so I asked him if he would mind me posting it. His reply? "Only if I look good!" Silly baby brother of mine...

Endings

They suck. Endings to great vacations, endings to excellent books, but endings to relationships- these are the worst. These are hard endings; there's a blunt, sharp end left. Where you're sitting on the couch watching the Emmy Awards and then, 2 hours later, you're driving home for the last time thinking, 'What just happened in that small space of time?'. I'm teary because I didn't want to let it go. I had so many good memories and experiences with him and I know with certainty that I won't be seeing him like that again. Endings are difficult to see beyond. They blind us a bit to the future, like fog, giving less than a foot of view at a time.

I can see very clearly right now into the past year; I remember every detail and every important event between the two of us but I cannot see past this week for myself. That frightens me to death.

Had the Helping Verb

Ah, I miss my Had. My good buddy whom I met in student government (hence, the uber-cool t-shirts... yes, we're proud). Unfortunately she's living on the other side of the country, all married off and with a big-girl accounting job. We such fun the summer of '01, living together in the Belcrest apartment (yes, we even shared a room so our other roommate didn't have to put up with us). I loved the term used for our apartment where people liked to gather: "The Barrel". I remember Had teaching me to throw a football in the parking lot (Joe: "Guys aren't attracted to girls who do masculine things like throw footballs." Both of us: "Joe, you are depraved and we would never ever date you, so don't you worry about us." We kept tossing the football.) Had made me drink for the first time, forced me to run with her, showed me how to illegally download songs, and drove me to her small hometown for the 4th. I miss my Had and our late-night Bible studies; that kind of friendship is hard to match.

A Double Feature

We saw this movie today, as well as the Aliens of the Deep film. They were both interesting, but I was more captivated by Aliens of the Deep. Some of my friends commented that the last part of Aliens was fantasy, and it was a little hard to know if what you were seeing was real (it wasn't). I'll admit, it was a little odd (I won't ruin it for everyone by telling what exactly I'm talking about from the last 5 minutes). Anyway, I loved that Aliens was not narrated, as most IMAX films are. The scenes were simply shown to the viewers, and you were left to make connections on your own and draw your own conclusions.

I think it's somewhat like the inquiry method of teaching, which is something I'm really working on nailing in science class. I try to give the kids guidance, make them wonder and ask questions, help them investigate their own questions, then let them present their findings to their peers. Pretty cool stuff- this is why I'm in education.

Free IMAX

I'm so excited to go see TWO IMAX films tomorrow for free. It's a teachers' free day at the IMAX, and two other members of the 4th grade team are going with me. They give you free things like neat-o pens, highlighters, and last time I got little flag post-it notes, and they stuff you with free popcorn and pop also. It's probably a little amusing to witness how excited I am- enjoy it, blogosphere- because this is sheer joy, and I'm not ashamed. I told a non-teacher friend how I felt like I was being treated like a queen, and she just laughed at me.

Impulsivity?

I have a habit of just deciding I want/need something, and then I go out and get it. This has been repeated countless times in my life, but right now it might be life-changing. I might get a dog. See, my family had a beloved German Shepherd who had to be put to sleep this past summer. I have always wanted a dog of my own, and I've waited for just the right time/dog. Well, my parents just adopted another Shepherd and now I've got the itch too! It's 11:30 on a Friday night and I've been looking at canine rescue web sites and just submitted an application for an 8-week old German Shepherd mix. I feel like a puppy would be hard work, but I'm always home anyway and besides- wouldn't it be good to get a puppy who could grow up and respect a cat, rather than adopt a middle-aged cat killer Shepherd? I know this is really impulsive, but I have such a desire for a dog to run with, take for car rides, hike with, etc. Some of my best decisions I've ever made have been opportunities that just dropped in my lap like this one. I'll keep everyone posted.

(Lack Of) Patience

I had limited amounts of patience with my class today. I have this great spelling program that I have worked really hard to create- so today, for the first time, we were selecting words to use. The kids just were not getting what I was saying- I re-stated the directions about 15 times (and 10 of them managed to finish the task on their own). Thinking back on it now, I can't figure out why I was so short with them. Frustrate with myself for not giving them enough time in the first place? I don't know, but I know I was rude to a few of them. One of my best students, a really sweet girl, was near tears, and I tried to ease her worries and be warm but I was so overwhelmed by this "We have to get this done today!" feeling. (The students are not in school tomorrow or Friday, and we had to prepare for next week) I just feel awful. I don't do this teaching thing for so that I can make good kids feel like they're incompetent, and I want to be the warm, gentle teacher all the time who gives students confidence.

I think I need to apologize on Monday.

Martini Monday

In the last month and a half, I've lost my roommate to her fiancee... they bought a house together and are so happy. It's been very isolating and reflective and lonely, but I feel like I'm coming out of that fog of living alone and being by myself.

Tonight I met up with 4 of my friends and we went downtown for half price martinis. I love these Monday nights. We end up in fits of laughter, being our silly old selves and usually decide that we need to go dancing all night (usually that doesn't fly on a Monday, though). For at least 7 years now (I'm very much a "chronology" gal- you'll hear me reference dates, years, landmarks in time quite often), I've yearned for close girl pals. At least half of the boyfriends I've ever had endured my melancholy stemming from the fact that I didn't have those heart/soul connections that I wanted. Has my friendship situation ever been perfect? No, I can't say that I've ever been someone to make friends quickly. I take time. But I think I'm at a good high point now. And I guess today, for the first time, I look back and say I have it. I know that these people are permanant fixtures in my life because I want to see them after Martini Mondays and we meet for coffee before church, we have dinner at a steakhouse because one of us won a crucial bet, we run together in the summer mornings (even if it only lasts for 2 weeks). I feel a little more understood, a little more loved, because of these women.

Blogging Brain

I stayed up until past midnight last night, doing things to my new blog. I went to bed and was still thinking about what to write. My 5th grade teacher told us that the most creative time for your brain to think of new ideas was right before or after sleep. When I was in college and had to think of new themes or projects for Activities Board, I would think about it before drifting off. Downside..... I forget the brilliant ideas sometimes because I fall asleep immediately afterward. It figures.

Cleo, relaxing on the couch this summer.
 

Bad Blogger

I'm not off to a great start in the blogging world, but I feel like since I read so many blogs each day, each varying in subject and focus, I should create my own. I know that I like to journal, and I like to be a part of secret clubs, and blogging communities seem that way to me.

I'm still coming up with ideas for what exactly to focus on, but right now I'm spending a lot of time with Cleo. Her great habit is to nudge my hand impatiently while I am typing on my computer- I shouldn't reward this because it really does drive me crazy. However, about once a minute, I give her a nice little pat and she continues in her aggressive behavior.

How did my cat get this way? It only just started this summer.