A fun To Do list

Tuesday, Tom and I decided to go see the Mets play the Pirates. We bought some sandwiches and jumped on the train, than got a couple tickets in the upper deck. It was a lot of fun. There was Mr. Met, Cowbell Man and the Mets kicking Pirate booty. There were several home runs for us to jump and yell and high-five over. The pitcher even scored his first home run ever. P.S. The boys who sat in front of us were slobs.

Wednesday we went to the Bronx Zoo. It was warm and sunny. We got to see lots of cool exhibits and I had a lot of fun playing with my camera (see Ebony Langur at left and tiger below). A butterfly landed on my dress a couple times, which I enjoyed.

There were tigers, giraffes, a mouse house that was full of cute-yet-creepy rodents and various cute primates. We had a lot of fun at the gorilla exhibit, especially watching the babies play. They reminded me of children playing, but the adults looked to Tom like people in gorilla suits and the babies looked like aliens. Okaaaaay. I just thought they were cute.

Thursday was the day of the Amanda Burkowitzs. Yes, Tom knows, not one, but two young women who are named Amanda Burkowitz and have the same birthday (though in different years). We stopped by the birthday parties of each. First we went to Bar Nine for the party of the Amanda who used to be Debra’s roomie.

After a drink and some chatting, we hopped a cab downtown to meet up with the Amanda with whom Tom attended Stuyvesant High School. We did much chatting until it was time for…Tada! The Simpsons movie! The movie was opening with a midnight showing that night, and she had acquired tickets for us. The movie was really rather funny, like a classic episode from the show’s strongest point. Then, on the way home, we had a rather hard time getting the train back to Tom’s. Grr. That’s one thing I won’t miss about New York: standing in a steamy-hot tunnel while waiting for a train that never seems to arrive.

Friday, Tom and I decided to take advantage of Restaurant Week. We went to Smith and Wollensky. The place had an amazing floral arrangement (see photo at left), cloth hand towels in the bathroom and filet mignon so buttery and soft! I ate just about every bit of those 12 ounces. Best meat ever. Seriously. It made me forgive the fact that it took us a million years to get water and our bread basket.

Then we walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge. I don’t know why, but I’d been wanting to do it for a while, and Tom gamely agreed. The breeze was so cool and refreshing and I got a chance to play around with my camera, snapping photos. My camera was acting up a little, which makes me nervous because I love it so much. Why did it stop working? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Saturday, Tom had his last few games of bocce for the standard season. They lost their first game (and to a team they had expected to beat easily). Thankfully, the made a comeback and beat their next team for an 8-2 record, coming out first in their division. On they go to the…finals? Championships?

Meanwhile, I was at the Cloisters with Madrid. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As I understand, it is composed of the pieces of various Cloisters (convents or monasteries) all over Europe. The art is gorgeous, especially the famous unicorn tapestries. I liked the architecture, the courtyard gardens and the natural park setting even more.

Madrid has been such a good friend to me, and it was nice to spend time with her. Then we met up with her hubby, Chris, for supper. I had a glorious Ruben sandwich and garlic mashed potatoes while we all talked.

Then it was home to read the new Harry Potter book while Tom was still out with his team. I just finished it today. Tom and I have been sharing a copy he bought. We’d both been hoping to finish the book before anyone spoiled the ending for us. I’d been hoping to finish it before leaving for Iowa, so I wouldn’t have to drop $30 on it and subsequently find room in my baggage for it. So hooray! Done. I promise not to say anything about the book and/or its ending.

Now there’s just three days left for me here. I’m so excited to see my family and pets and the farm and Iowa. I’m excited, too, for the educational experience to follow. But it’s hard to leave. It’s hard to leave everything that’s here.

Time passes...

Post-Virginia and post-party we were tired. The next few days passed with us mostly hanging out around the house, doing various necessary chores and me fielding calls from potential roomies. One day while I was doing chores, Tom surprised me with a bouquet of irises! Aren't they pretty?

On the 19^th, we decided we’d had our fill of sitting around the steamy apartment. We decided to go for a walk and spent a few hours traipsing around Prospect Park. We got to hear a band practicing for a concert that night. Then we stopped by a children’s park to use ‘the facilities.’

The park had a musical theme and giant musical toys for them to play with. There was also this neat harp fountain. Then we met up with Debra for pizza. Yum! She was given an undeserved censure from her employers, just like me, so I could feel her pain.

Friday was a housewarming party for Danno, Chris and Jarbo (Bill, I think.). Their apartment was, in certain ways, amazing. Its best feature, I think, is that it has a huge, open kitchen/living room space. Since people always end up in the kitchen during parties, it was great because the whole place is basically kitchen.

Saturday Team Rolling Thunder had its first taste of defeat, but it was followed quickly by victory in their second match of the day. Then, if I remember correctly, Tom and I went home to watch DVDs of the incomparable Veronica Mars. It’s an amazing TV show. My friend, Drew, always recommended it to me, but I didn’t have time to watch it while I was in grad school. Soon I’ll be in grad school again, so I’m taking advantage of this break. Netflix to the rescue! Maybe next week, I’ll actually get around to all the things I need to do before I leave.

Bullseye. (It's a long one.)

Wow, it’s actually now, now! It really is July 15, 2007.

Monday, Tom and I evaded the extreme heat in NYC by going to his parents’ house on Staten Island. Tom, his brothers and I went to see the Transformers movie. It was Armageddontastic, and I’m told it has many references that are satisfying for fans of the original cartoon. After the movie we swam in his parents’ pool. It was so nice. Also, Tom’s brother Paul lent us his SUV to move my stuff to Virginia.

The next day, we went shopping, got my mail from Rick and had dinner. Wednesday morning we hit the road, and eight hours later we had moved my belongings into a storage facility and checked in to our hotel rooms. We had nice seafood (it’s usually great that close to the ocean) and went to bed really early.

Thursday was a rough day. I was scrambling for housing, and afraid I wouldn’t find it. Mom and Dad had delivered the bad news that they couldn’t spare a car for me, so I had to eliminate any possibility beyond walking distance of campus. (Mom, here's one of the big ships you wanted me to go see!) Technically Norfolk has public transportation, but the whole time I was there, I only saw one city bus, and I never saw a bus stop.

After checking internet listings and bulletin boards, as well as newspaper listings, I was frustrated. I decided to take a different strategy. I decided to walk around campus, look for interesting properties with “For Rent” signs and get a place that way. The minute we parked, I saw one and called the owner, John Warner. He only had four-bedroom apartments, but knew tenants in need of roomies so I signed up for a tour. I spent the time until then calling landlords and possible roomies.

Everything seemed fruitless. (No, I do not want to live with a guy who has a pirate flag on his wall and a collection of beer bottle caps. No, I do not want to live with a sickly, elderly smoker and her mentally challenged daughter. No, I do not want to live with three hard-partying 19-year-old boys.)

Then it was time to meet up with John for the tour. By the time it was over, I had an idea. Hundred, maybe more, of us were all looking for apartments, begging “Pick me, pick me.” I decided to turn the tables and be the picker for once. I filled out an application and gave an application fee for a four bedroom, two bath apartment (complete with a washer and dryer!) in a duplex five blocks from campus.

It was a giant load of my shoulders. Also, the campus looks pretty nice. They’re renovating the building what my office is in, and doing lots of other construction… including a MONORAIL! The school is much bigger than BV was, but I really don’t think the campus is big enough to justify a monorail...especially since I doubt the winters are even frigid. On the other hand, as Tom put it, “If I were you, I’d come here just for the monorail.” So there’s the cool factor.

With my extreme housing anxiety out of the way, I was free to relax and we went to Virginia Beach for yet another amazing seafood dinner. We sat on the upstairs deck of a restaurant and gazed out at the beautiful water as we ate our meal. I took the gorgeous picture below. It was over too soon.

The next day we got back in the car and drove back to New York. It was a bittersweet moment. It seems now like it’s really going to happen. On the one hand, I’m happy because I’ll really be learning poetry and teaching a college class. On the other hand, it means leaving New York, my friends and Tom.

Yesterday was Bocce again -- sadly, they lost for the first time. The group had been claiming they wanted to find a team that took the game as seriously as they do. Well, be careful what you wish for. “Actually,” Tom said, “that’s what’s so annoying! They don’t take it as seriously as we do! We just sucked today.” Well, this loss has certainly fired them up for next week. After the match, I decided to give Bocce a try. I rolled three balls and got them all close to the paulino!

Then I got ready for my Going Away Dinner. My friends decided to throw it early because 1-everyone was free that night and 2-it would be less sad that if the party was actually the last time they would see me. Brilliant!

We met at El Paso for some decent paella. It was just nice to have my closet friends together. It occurs to me that I’ve now given a rundown of Tom’s friends, but not my own. Here goes. The photo (taken at Madrid's party) shows Jenny, Laura, Madrid, Carolina and me.

Madrid and I met at IS 318 where I taught English and she taught Social Studies. She astounded me by telling me her old middle school was worse. She is ten years older than me, but this is only apparent if we’re discussing how old we were when major events happened (the Challenger explosion, etc.). She’s from Mississippi and a Vassar grad. She is married to Chris, a sweet guy working on his PhD is something computerish from NYU.

Madrid introduced me to Laura, her colleague from the worse middle school. Laura makes gorgeous jewelry loves to organize gatherings. She is excellent at getting people to stay out much later than they intended and at getting people to dance. She is pretty much engaged to Ryan, a funny and outgoing former restaurant manager/new Teaching Fellow who was in the band Who By Fire but is currently forming a new band.

Laura introduced us to Carolina. Carolina is a fabulous Latina who teaches high school bilingual earth science and performs stunning acts of geology on the weekends. She drives like a New York City cabby and is a shopper extraordinaire.

Madrid introduced us to Jenny (of Jenny’s Closet fame). They went to Vassar together. Jenny has been teaching for, what, ten years? She is one of those people who seem born to it. She also has impeccable taste in clothing and shoes, and when she cleans her closets, all her friends reap the benefits.

Laura introduced us to Riza, an adorable girl who, prior to meeting her boyfriend Pete, was a boy magnet. And she was never trying. (Sorry, this mysterious pic is the best I can find right now). When she was sad, the boys liked her best of all. She is dainty, and the boys wanted to protect her, I think. She is quick to laugh and eats like a champ. How does she remain so tiny? Its like a scientific impossibility. (Riza couldn’t make the party. She and Pete are in California.)

That’s the main group. Sometimes we hang out with Irene, too. She works with Jenny. She has shiny hair and a sharp, dry sense of humor. So much fun.

Back to the story, if anyone is still reading. Madrid, Chris, Laura, Ryan, Jenny, Carolina, Tom and I all met up for dinner. After dinner, we went to Kettle of Fish to play darts. I had never played before. It was actually fun, and I didn’t do any more badly that my team mates. Why did we play boy-vs.-girls when the boys had a lot more experience than we did? I have no idea.

In the first game, we weren’t far behind. Game 2 we played for points and bet a drink. It was quickly apparent the boys would beat us. Eventually, the guys needed two bullseyes to win and we needed 15. Well, we got that down to thirteen before they won, so that’s something. It dragged on and on. “Seriously,” the boys said, “Don’t you want to quit?” “No way,” we replied. “Look, we know we’re buying you those drinks, but you have to earn them.” About a month later they did.

While everyone else was chatting, I threw the darts over and over until…BULLSEYE! I set my goal, made a few wild stabs and wanted to quit.

Then I focused. I breathed. I tried and tried and tried, finally found a little luck, and hit the bullseye. Isn’t that always the way with me? Sometimes, the want, the need, the effort and the luck all come together. Somtimes it all works out. Maybe my life will be the same way.

Happy July 4!

Oh, it’s vacation, indeed! July 3, Tom performed the amazing culinary feat of consuming 11 portions of meat (sausages, burgers, brats, etc.) at Mike and Britt’s barbecue/housewarming. Wow, is their new duplex amazing! We ate and ate. Then someone started smoking and I had an asthma attack. For some strange reason, I forgot my inhaler. I went inside and lie down and tried to slow my breathing. Eventually I felt better and went outside. I chose a part of the patio farthest from the smoker. Then he stopped smoking, and I was quite happy…until they lit up and my asthma started up AGAIN! Grr. I went back inside, but soon it was smoky in there, too, so I had to leave. Sigh. Oh, well.

Then next day, the whole crew met up for a free July 4 concert in Battery Park, Middle Lake and The New Pornographers (their name is the only thing racy about them. They’re actually very mellow). It was a nice concert. Sometimes my view was awesome…sometimes not so much (see demonstrating photos below). Then it started to rain, and some of the rude people opened umbrellas. Okay, if you must be perfectly dry at an outdoor concert, there are non-rude options: 1-wear a rain poncho, 2- stand off to the side or in the back where your umbrella won’t block other people’s views. That’s just how I feel.

We then went to Brooklyn for Mexican food, a Bocce scrimmage (they’re REALLY into that game) and fireworks. Well, Tom and I went for the fireworks. Everyone else decided to stay in the bar. Oh, well, their loss. The next day, I sorted out a few boxes to get rid of some belongings and consolidate others while Tom was with his parents. When he came back, we went to the movies and saw Knocked Up, which was pretty funny.

Friday afternoon Tom and I went to Coney Island. I had never been. We walked up and down the boardwalk. Then we rode the Cyclone, a wooden rollercoaster that just turned 80. It rattled my teeth and bruised my arms and I screamed until my throat hurt.

By that time, Debra and her friends were off work and joined up with us. We got in line for hotdogs at Nathan’s. It was the longest, slowest line EVER! Then we were finally at the front. As Tom grabbed his greasy hot dog with sauerkraut and onions, I was hit with a wave of nausea. “I have to go sit down,” I told him. But halfway between the stand and our table, the nausea hit so strong that I ended up crouched on the sidewalk.

Eventually I saw the table where Debra, Sheena and Carl were sitting. I took a deep breath, launched myself over there and sat with my head on the table. But I could smell their food, so then I lie down on the bench. “What’s the matter, Erin,” they asked. “Are you okay? You want some water?” I could barely answer them. But soon it passed. I managed to eat my supper and drink my Sprite. We suspect I was foiled again by Benadryl. I had taken some that morning, and though I drank a lot of water, when on antihistamines you need so much more!

Whatever. The point is, I felt all better in time for…the Burlesque show! Okay, some Burlesque shows are clever and sassy. The one we went to was more along the lines of trashy.

Then we went on THE WONDER WHEEL! It was wonderful, indeed. The Wonder Wheel is a giant Ferris wheel. The story goes that a guy once proposed to a girl and she said, “I’ll marry you if you buy me the Wonder Wheel.” He saved up and somehow did it. She married him, and the ride is still owned by that family. The wheel has two kinds of cars, stationary and moving. The moving cars swing and slide. I just thought it would swing, so when it slid, I almost jumped out of my skin. When I got past the shock, it was so much fun!

Then we went out to the boardwalk for fireworks. They were set to such patriotic music as “God Bless America,” “Proud to be an American” and “Eye of the Tiger.” The fireworks were set off so close to the boardwalk that, by the end, we were engulfed by a cloud of smoke. (P.S. Isn't my new digital camera's fireworks setting awesome?)

Saturday was Madrid and Chris’ one year anniversary. I straightened my hair and even painted my nails for the occasion. We all met up at Prohibition. I ordered a scrumptious frozen raspberry margarita, of which I slurped up every last drop. It was so nice to all sit together and talk and joke and laugh. Madrid and Chris are one of the happiest married couples I know. It makes me happy that they found each other and they make each other so happy.

The End

I'm no longer a middle school teacher at IS 318 in the South Bronx. The school year ended. I said goodbye to my students, thinking “Good riddance,” with some, worrying for others, and knowing I would miss some. “Are you coming back next year, Ms. Kiley?” “That’s the plan,” I replied to some, or “Well, you never know what will happen in life,” to others. I told a few coworkers the truth, told some I was thinking about leaving, and was completely evasive with others.

It was hard, not being completely honest. I didn’t get to say the big emotional goodbyes. Everything was up in the air. I don’t want to quit before my grievance goes through, or before everything is finalized with Old Dominion. Anyway, I snapped pictures of my classroom before packing everything up (and went home each night to pack up my apartment). I got photos of my favorite class, too (at least, the students who bothered to show up for the last three days).

After the last students left, we had the usual meeting and award ceremony where some of Ms.Lopez’s assistants got special trophies and the rest of us all got matching trophies. I really don’t get the whole giving-trophies-to-everyone thing. It’s supposed to make us feel appreciated…but for me, not so much. Then we all turned in our fans and easels and keys and picked up our paychecks.

I went home and did some packing before meeting up with my teacher friends as Valhalla. The night before, I’d been up to all hours packing, so I bowed out early to go home and sleep. The next day was move-out day. Tom brought his car and we loaded it up with my stuff a few times. Then I was homeless, no longer a resident of Manhattan! No more living with Rick (see sad photo below.) From here on out, it’s all couch surfing, depending on the kindness of friends.

That day was also the birthday of Tom’s best friend, Debra. We met up with her crew for tapas in the village, followed by gorgeous, decadent deserts at Venieros. I had a marvelous cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries, but upon trying someone else’s raspberry truffle cake, I’ve decided the next time I go that’s what I MUST get.

Friday I was pretty zonked out, but Saturday was fun. Tom had another Bocce match. They creamed the competition once again. Then we went to a sports bar and watched a Yankees game, followed by Dom and Tori’s house where we watched the Rice game followed by a restaurant for Buffalo wings and the Mets game. Yeah, by that point I was pretty baseballed-out. We went back to Dom and Tori’s and hung out for quite a while. By the time we left, it was almost supper. Tom and I decided to have steak.

We trolled the supermarket for all the necessary ingredients, then I washed and cut the veggies while Tom did something yummy to the steak, which we ate with wine by candlelight. Not a bad start to the summer.

The Sackett Family Vacation

Hey! Now it’s June 24 (No, seriously. Why don’t you believe me?)

This week was interesting. Work was terrible, but family came to cheer me up. (Lynn, how did you manage to hide from all my pictures?)

Why was work crazy? One of my students was in a class with a substitute and she started fighting with a classmate. The sub, afraid for the girl being attacked, tried to break it up just as the attacker lunged with a pen in her hand. As a result, he was accidentally stabbed in the face. Yes, my boss felt I couldn’t control that class well enough. She claimed I was the only one who had trouble with them. Well, when she went in to break it up, some kids who weren’t even in the fight cursed her out. Hmm…just me, huh? Interesting.

What’s more, this was the week when the eight graders found out whether they were going to graduate. Then it was up to the teachers to deal with the fall out. They then put all the non-passing boys in one room and the non-passing girls in another while the lucky teachers helped with rehearsal. I was one of the lucky ones. I was with the kids, watching the kids sing and dance. I also proudly watched Jason, one of my homeroom kids from last year, practice his valedictorian speech. I even got a little misty. Meanwhile in the not-graduating room, someone punched out a window. Another window was punched out down the hall. Oops.

I also found out I was being given a U rating for the year. I had to go to the union office in the Bronx to grieve the rating. They made me feel much better about the whole situation, because I gave them my rating sheet and discussed the reasons I was given. They assured me it would most likely be overturned. The only problem is, they might not get to my case before I move.

It was nice, then, to have a visit from family members to cheer me up. My cousins, Karen, Lynn, Connor and Hannah Sackett, drove to New York. They arrived on Tuesday and called me that evening. I stopped packing and walked over to their hotel just a dozen or so miles away. Marrakesh Hotel was a Moroccan-themed converted hostel. It was very cool. After hugs, we walked over to Mill Korean for Bulgogi and Bimbimbab cooked in hot stone pots. Hannah, who is usually more comfortable with chicken fingers, found some suit and sour pork that she enjoyed. It was a fun meal. On the way back, we walked by the cathedral of St. John the Devine and the crazy Peace Fountain (the one with St. Michael and the giraffes an the devil and the giant crab).

The next day, they went to various tourist sites, including Hannah’s beloved American Girl Place. Then they went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. I was so happy they did, because a trip to New York is not complete without going to a Broadway show.

Then next day I called in sick to work so I could spend the day with them. I’ve never played hooky before, and I informed my cousins that they aren’t allowed to play hooky until they turn 27. Hannah’s request for the day was to see the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, which I had mentioned to her a year before. (“Be careful what you say to her,” Karen warned, “Apparently she remembers everything you say.”) Connor wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

I started us out in Central Park at Strawberry Fields (see photo above). An artist was arranging flowers on the memorial, as John Lennon’s fans often do. Then we explored down to the Bethesda Fountain.

We walked all the way across the park, stopping at the Hans Christian Anderson sculpture (See the two photos-one before Connor bonked his head on Hans' nose, and one after) before heading over to see Alice.

Children love the sculpture (well, adults do, too, but it's designed for kids). It’s built with hidden steps to help children climb. I was tempted to do so, as well. Connnor and Hannah clamber over it for a while and their parents and I snapped some photos.

As we left the park, we found ourselves near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We made our way inside, where we looked at the Egyptian exhibit, the new Greek and Roman hall and then sought out Hannah’s favorite, Degas’ Ballerinas. Then it was lunch time. I took them over to Blockhead’s Burritos. It is a Mexican restaurant with a SOCK MONKEY THEME. It was close, reasonably priced, the menu had something for everyone and I thought they would get a kick out of the décor.

We all went to our various homes for a quick rest. Then we went down to the Empire State Building. Hannah was afraid of heights, but she informed me, “New York is the place for trying new things.” I was impressed by her adventurousness. Karen killed me, though, as we stood in like. She started telling stories of times in the past when heights scared Hannah. “Don’t bring it up now!” I exclaimed.

Finally we made it through the line an up the first elevator. Then we found ourselves in this dumpy room. “This isn’t it, right?” we asked each other. But then we realized there was a second elevator we were in line for. Then someone announce we could skip the line if we wanted to take the stairs the last eight flights or so. We decided we were game, though soon found ourselves huffing and puffing a bit. When we stepped out onto the observation deck, I realized I had made the mistake of wearing a flippy skirt! I’d been holding hands with Hannah, and she helped me gather the folds of my skirt and hold on to it to keep my modesty covered. Meanwhile, Connor and Lynn went all the way to the top and got the best view the city has to offer. Hannah found she was not at all afraid as she looked out over the city.

Just as we were heading to the subway, it began to rain. We went to Zoma, the Ethiopian restaurant a block from my apartment. Tom joined us. Tom, Lynn and Connor bonded a bit over baseball and Tae Kwon Do. We ordered a few mixed platters. A variety of small mounds of lamb and chicken in different sauces were arranged on a plate of spongy bread. Then each person was given some more spongy bread, which they ripped up and used as a scoop or a pincher to grab the food they wanted to try. This meal was not as much to Hannah’s liking as the Korean food, but she tried it and was a great sport. I just wanted my family to get an interest new dining experience. I was thrilled at how eager they were to try new things, and I think Karen, Lynn and Connor really liked it.

Then we said goodbye in the rain as they headed back to their hotel. They were off to Niagra Falls before driving back to Iowa. It was so nice to see Karen, who has been like a big sister to me since I was little; Lynn, who’s been an amazing brother-in-law; and Connor and Hannah, the best little siblings a girl could pick.

Dead Men Dreaming

Well, now it is totally June 17, and I am completely not backdating this entry, either. It was a busy week at work, which included turning in grades. Friday I went out with my girls as usual. Saturday was another Bocce match. Rolling Thunder was triumphant once again. Then Tom and I had to go get ready for his brothers’ concert.

Tom’s brothers, Rich and Paul, are in a metal band called Dead Men Dreaming. They’re pretty popular and managed to land a concert at the Blender Theater. While walking to the theater, we saw the fanciest Home Depot ever, so I had to get a picture. Tom and I got to the Blender Theater early, snapped a photo of the Marquis, then went next door for pizza.

Rich found us there. He was trying to play it cool, but he was obviously psyched for their dressing room, nice bathroom, photo shoot and free supply of Guiness. Paulie caught up with us, and was quite amped, as well.

While they were setting up, Tom and I went for a walk to Madison Square Park, where we saw these amazing life-sized metal sculptures of trees, so I had some more photography fun.

Next was the concert, where I made a slight mistake. Earlier in the day I took a Benadryl for sinus pain…which I forgot when Tom asked me, “Do you want a drink?” I had some ridiculous girly drink, which the bartender mixed a bit strong…and which should not have been combined with antihistamines. Seriously. I was asleep on my feet…at a heavy metal concert!

Tom’s brothers were pretty good, and hopefully people thought my head was nodding in time to the music, as opposed to me nodding off. I was only caught twice, once by a concerned woman who probably thought I was passing out or overdosing from heavy drug use and once after the concert by Tom’s family, who were amused. I had to go home early. Just a reminder, folks: read the warning labels on medications and act accordingly.

Rolling Thunder, continued.

After the match, we went to Dom and Tori’s house to hang out for a while. Somehow the guys ended up dancing, and somehow (beer?) Dom ended up dropping trou.

Soon we girls piled into a car to drive to a party. The guys walked. I have no idea whose party it was, but they had an amazing apartment. Their air conditioner, however, was no match for the number of guests it was trying to cool. We went back and forth from the apartment to the front stoop to cool off.

At one point, the girls and I were sitting on the floor, chatting. Then Tom walked up behind me. On a whim, I grabbed his leg and said, “Check it out: Black Snake Moan.” Or any of those movie posters where the girl grabs the guy’s leg for that matter. Britt thought it was so funny she snapped a picture, which Tom has subsequently made his Facebook picture. Sigh.

The evening ended with people doing silly dances. I did the Roger Rabbit for the crowd and Becker did the Worm. Heee. Then we all went home for some much needed rest.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Of course it is still June. It is Sunday, June 10 and I am updating my blog on cue. I am not at all writing this at a later date and pretending it is timely.

Right after writing my last entry, I had to meet up with Tom to get my cell phone charger (I left it at his place). He was downtown running his high school’s prom, and looked quite cute in his tux. Then I went up to the Bronx. I needed to spend the night at the apartment of a coworker, Rebecca. You see, Thursday (June 7) was a clerical day, and my employers (in their infinite wisdom) decided to hold it at a hotel in Long Island, which is very far away. Rebecca offered me a ride.

Rebecca is an awesome girl. We have so much in common (especially a love of musical theater and old-fashioned hat—of which she has a collection I covet), and I wish we’d hung out more. It was mostly a matter of timing and geography. Our lunches and preps were different periods. Her room was at one end of the building and mine was at the other. She lives way up in the Bronx and hangs out on City Island on the weekend. I live in Harlem and hang out in Manhattan (especially the Village). So not so much with the hanging out. Anyway, we chatted and had a glass of wine and watched How to Marry a Millionaire before we turned in.

The next day we zoomed off to a long day of curriculum mapping. That’s when you schedule all the major stuff you’ll teach in a year. I found it incredibly frustrating, because they made us spend a ton of time on mapping last year and then didn’t let us follow the maps. So I grinned and bore it. After work I went to Tom’s and we went our for Mexican food at a rooftop restaurant. It was delicious and rooftoppy.

Friday I…did stuff? I went to work and then met up with my friends at Valhalla. I showed my camera off to Laura, Madrid, Jenny and Irene. Then I met up with Tom. Saturday was the first Bocce game for Tom and his friends. They’ve joined a league. Their team name is Rolling Thunder, and they’re pretty good.

Oh, first I should explain Bocce. It is a bowling-ish game traditionally played outdoors by old Italian men. In this case it is played in a bar (Union Hall) by twenty- and thirty- somethings on indoor lanes (made of clay, I think?). The game requires one small white ball; and eight larger, heavier balls (four of one color, four of another). Someone rolls the white ball, the paulino. Then the two teams take turns trying to roll their colored balls as close to the paulino as possible. The team that has the closest ball counts how many balls they have closer than the other team’s balls. As many rounds as necessary are played until one team gets seven total points. The team that gets seven wins the game, and there are three games in a match. Ta-da! I hope that’s not too confusing.

Here’s a roll-call of the members of team Rolling Thunder (I’ve mentioned a lot of these people before, but I don’t think I’ve ever broken it down like this):

Dom went to high school with Tom and is currently in law school at NYU. He is a fierce competitor at darts, bocce, Trivial Pursuit…everything really. He is a stickler for the rules. See the photo at left where he is measuring to see which team's ball is closer. Why no, I did not PhotoShop in extra hair at his request. Why do you ask? Dom is married to Tori.

Tori does something having to do with advertising for MTV. She got in to the group because she used to be roomies with Tom’s BFF, Debra, who also went to Stuyvesant High School with Dom and Tom. She is an awesome singer and is so cool that I’ve decided she is having my babies.

Becker (technically Adam, but he swears even his mother calls him Becker) has a financial-type job at Wachovia. Becker is a truly hilarious young man. He owns a cat name Uncle Walter, and a family crest tattooed on his thigh. Becker went to high school with Mike.

Mike does something…e-mailish? for the New York Times. He is married to Britt. He got in the group because he and Dom were roomies.

Britt is originally from Iowa, and although she does not mind her home state, she does not have the same level of affection for the place that I do. She met Mike when they were in college at Penn State.

Afton, Britt’s sister, doesn’t seem to love Iowa as much as I do, either. She does something…education-y with children. Yeah, I think I should ask her about that next time I see her. Afton and Britt have such and awesome sisterly relationship that I once amused them by involuntarily exclaiming, “No fair. I want a sister!” (No offense, honorary sisters.)

Chris also does…something at the Times. That’s how he met Mike and joined the group. He has an incredibly full and lustrous beard. I first met him at a Halloween party where he was doing a really convincing (though very tall) impersonation of a lawn gnome.

Chris was roomies with Danno. Danno used to be a bartender, but his friends helped him get a job with the Times and he seems so much happier.

Okay, I think that’s everyone. There are so many team members so the team can keep going even if someone has Saturday plans. They won their first match, and I had fun cheering them on.

Click.

Friday I posted after settling up my credit card bill. For once, I stayed in on a Friday night, tidying up my room, doing my dishes, taking a bath and all that excitement.

The next day I got together with Tom. We ran to Best Buy where he purchased some video cassettes (to tape a lesson to complete his certification) and I bought a new digital camera!

My old one was getting crankier and crankier, and the resolution was such that with any digital adjustments, the pictures looked great on the computer but the prints came out all pixelated. To my non-computery readers, let me explain: old camera = bad photo prints. Also, its disk was having errors, and I couldn't find a replacement.

So Best Buy had a nice little digital camera on sale, so I snapped it up. The software is driving me nuts, but I LOVE MY CAMERA! Then we went to a famous Brooklyn spot, L & B Spumoni Gardens. I got crema, he got pistachio, and it turns out pistachio is DELICIOUS. Green nuts are yummy. Who knew?

We went back to his place to pick up tickets to a modern dance recital his students were putting on at John Dewey High in Coney Island, Brooklyn. I pestered him, trying out my camera. He tried not to look annoyed. Then we hopped in the car, drove to Sahara's for some Mediterranean food (Tom drank some crazy coffee that left a giant lump in his cup -- see photo) and then we went to Dewey. I stood around awkwardly while he chatted with his coworkers. About 15 minutes later, he stuttered, "Oh, I'm really rude!" and finally introduced me. They were a funny bunch of people, teasing and laughing.

The show itself was amazing (Note: the picture at left is not from the show. It was the best modern dance picture I could quickly find online that wasn't full of...well, white people.). I liked the costumes and the choreography (although once in a while the choreographer went for "Ooh, this is challenging" over "This hits the right emotional cord"). However, the second dancer was so moving she made me cry. I think I managed to swipe away all the tears without getting caught. Some acts had so much energy, it was hard to stay in your seat. "I told you," Tom said, "I wouldn't have had you come if it wasn't good."

Sunday was about groceries and such, and during the work week I learned that my test scores weren't enough to appease my boss after all. Now I may have to go through the drama of filing grievances with the union. IT'S ALL SO EXHAUSTING!

Who rules? ME!

Why am I so triumphant? I am now, officially, out of credit card debt! Oh, I still have a touch of parental debt and a load of student loan debt, but credit card debt? No, sir!

You see, as a teacher you get paid more with a master's degree. A long while back I applied for the salary differential, and this paycheck the retroactive pay came in. Hooray! Together with my regular pay and the money already in my checking, I had enough to pay off my credit card, pay my rent and have enough left to make it to my next paycheck...with which I will only have to pay for my cell phone and my student loan.

I know I need to set aside enough money for 1-renting a car to take my stuff to Virginia, 2- a hotel room when we get there (Mom volunteered to help), 3- the storage facility for my stuff, 4- first month's rent, last month's rent and deposit on a new apartment, 5-plane tickets to Iowa, and perhaps 6- plane tickets to scout out Virginia sometime this month (in which case that's technically #1 and the other purchases move one number higher). Six is iffy because I could take a shuttle bus to Virginia ($60 round trip), but this is kind of a stressfull time, so I'd have to weigh the money savings of the bus vs. the saved time and hassle reduction of a plane.

Wait, what was my point? Oh, yeah. I have to watch my pennies or I'll quickly have credit card debt again. (Ah, but it would be new, exciting credit card debt!) I want to pay my parents back, but I feel like if I do that now, I'll just end up having to take another loan. Grad school won't be cheap, and I haven't figured out the college loan situation yet. My education for the next three years will basically be free if ODU follows through on its promises, but that still leaves things like food, rent, and transportation. I want to get a part-time job, too, but how much will that offset the cost of living? On the other hand, why should my parents suffer just because I've made an expensive life choice?

Why should I, at 27, depend on them financially? My parents don't begrudge me the money. They're even helping me get a car (possibly at auction) because they're pretty much required in Virginia. But on the other hand, Dad needs a hearing aid from his years of driving noisy tractors, and they can't afford it because the aids cost $1,500 (his insurance doesn't think his hearing is bad enough yet for him to get the hearing aid...or they wanted to get him a conspicuous, ugly one? I don't remember which). If I paid them back, they could get the hearing aid. Well, I'm going to keep trying.

This makes it so tempting to stay teaching. I'm paying down my debts. Next year, after my first day of teaching I'd have tenure. (Tricky, huh? You get it after the first day of your fourth year.) I could pay back my parents, pay off my student loans, have a few month's pay in my savings account, just in case, they way they say you're supposed to. I could invest...like in stocks or something? I could continue to put money into my retirement account. In short, I could be a financially responsible grown-up. I might even have enough left over for travel, or cute clothes!

Too bad my current teaching job is sucking out my soul and making me dislike myself. It's possible at another middle or high school I'd feel differently, but maybe not. Besides, all my friends are struggling to find jobs elsewhere, and for one reason or another it hasn't been working out. They're so depressed about it. I don't blame them. I just couldn't be trapped at that school for one more year.

Oh, whoops. I lost my triumphant train of thought. I called one of my credit card companies and asked them to reduce my APR. They did, by one percent. I'd been hoping for more, but that's a start. I'm waiting to hear back from my other credit card company. Hooray! Suze Orman would be so proud! Here's hoping I can continue to live life to the fullest while still living within my means.

The Scores Are In!

Who rules? Me! Now I don't believe in teaching to the test or judging a student (or teacher, for that matter) solely on some test, but since my employers do, I let this news work for me.

First, I'll set the scene: my witchy bosses have it in for me! They've been giving me trumped-up negative write-ups in my file and undeserved negative observations (My lesson was unsatisfactory because my font was too small? I could read it from the back of the room, but okay...) They even sabotaged me in the meetings where we would plan my observation lessons. ("Parents blame you when their kids don't do well. When you're a weak teacher, there's only so much I can do to defend you." Wow. You think I'm a weak teacher? [That may not be clear in writing, but it was clear in her tone.] Well, that makes me feel comfortable and confident with you visiting my class tomorrow.) My friends an I suspect they do this so I can't get a job teaching at some other junior high or high school. As a bonus, if I quit, it looks like I quit because I was a bad teacher (as opposed to "Oops, we lost another qualified, experienced teacher").

During my last post observation, I said, "Look, what do I have to do to get a satisfactory rating for the year?" "Well, I don't know," the Principal replied. "What steps can I take? I want to do the right thing." "I don't know..." I had to ask her four times. She said she would send the literacy coach and my AP to observe my lessons and give advice. She said she would visit to see if I was taking her suggestions. She said I should get my students to follow all my instructions. I should do this without ever raising my voice. Right. Now basically, she couldn't give me an unsatisfactory rating because she didn't follow through on her part of the bargain, but now she really can't!

The top score on the test is 4, above grade level. Who has the only students in the whole school with level 4 scores? That would be ME! And they didn't come to me with 4s. I helped them raise their scores to 4. I raised more scores in one class than any other teacher. I raised more scores total than all but two teachers. In my worst class, I managed to retain the scores of all but one student. In short, I rule in a way that my number-cruching boss cannot dispute. Hooray! If she wants to live by the scores, then her vendetta will have to die by the scores. YAY, YAY, YAAAAAAAAY!

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday I was tired and stressed, but Madrid convinced me to come for drinks right after work. I was tired and sweaty, but I agreed. We met up with Laura, Carolina, Jenny Levy, and two of her friends. We snacked and sipped and had a lovely time. Then Jenny's friend said, "Hey, did you notice the vagina mirror?" "WHAT?" I sputtered. "In the bathroom! There is a full-length mirror opposite...where you sit. Your sitting there and all of a sudden you look up and...hello! Vagina mirror." Anyhoo, Jenny is pals with the bartender. She made up a shot for us and said we could name it. The name seemed...obvious. I thought the bartender was going to fall over laughing.

The group broke apart. Then I was going to meet up with Tom and his friends. There were some really irritating train snafus...which are so irritating I'm not even going to make you read about them. Suffice it to say, by the time I got there, his friends were all gone. Grr. But I forced myself to cheer up fast. Part of being a good girlfriend is not being a drag, and with all Tom has to hear about my job, I don't have many drag points to spare.

Saturday, we went to his parents' house. They have a lovely pool and hot tub in the back yard. Also, his mom made the most delicious pina coladas I've ever tasted. "Here," she would say, "have some more. And I didn't put in enough rum. Here, have more rum." Mmmmm, I thought, so this is what alcoholism tastes like. Then Tom's dad grilled us some delicious food. We swam, chatted with his family and soaked up rays. I got a little sunburned.

Sunday we went to Brookyln's Tom's Diner. Everyone there was really friendly. The staff handed out orange slices. We got there early, but I've heard if you come later there's a line around the block, and they give you orange slices and cookies on line. Then we walked through Prospect Park. We bought bagel sandwiches and picnicked in the park. Then we joined up with Debra at Metropolitan for barbecue. Eventually, it was just too crowded, so we went to meet up with Dom, Tori, Becker and Mike. Mike had broken up with his girlfriend. She was nice, but...well, it's just one of those things, I guess. They weren't getting along well enough.

I began to feel woozy...whether from heat or dehydration or alcohol or the smokers nearby...who knows. But I pushed through it and found my partying-second-wind. We ended up playing Truth or Dare, of all things! Tori was disappointed I wasn't drinking and had the bartender invent me a drink, The Joy Machine. Wow. Two original drinks in one weekend! Monday we had breakfast, watched some cartoons, then Tom made me delicious pasta. Then I went home to grade papers. I didn't get enough done, but then when do I ever?