Monsoon Moisture YUCK!!!!!

Like a good girl, I set the alarm and got up at the weee crack of dawn so I could do my 12 miles. Even when the alarm went off and I was laying in bed, I was ALREADY covered in sweat. Big nasty monsoonal moisture clouds have been attacking the region, making it terribly uncomfortable to be outside and flash flooding some areas. Beautiful but scary. Where did my friendly marine layer go? WAHHHHHHH!

So, because it was already in the 80's and 80% humidity, I did not go out for a run. The last thing I need is to pass out and die alone on some country back road, found only when some hillbilly looking for roadkill follows the vultures circling my dead body. Instead, I kicked out some amazing work for the next school year, working on a classroom webpage as well as researching some alternative grade books.

I am not a big fan of the educational system and a lot of the decisions that are being made way above my head, but I do love teaching.  Even though the state of public education is quickly spinning down the crapper, I am so excited to get back in the classroom and try to make a small difference. I have a new classroom in the main building (yay!) an have a new class (geometry), and I am very excited to take my Standards Based Grading to the next level. I think this is going to be a very good year.

So, as far as training goes, this is probably going to be a pitiful week. I missed last week's long run (the 12 miles) and MOVING AGAIN, I doubt I am going to be getting in a lot of miles. But, I do want to make the gym membership a priority, so no matter where I am living for the first few weeks of transition, I can at least get my fitness on after/before work. I am hoping I can hit a really good streak once I get back north; if I don't I am probably going to fall a little short of my 5 hour goal (but still PR).

Most importantly, I need to get back into shape and get ready for vegas. I really hope my work clothes still fit me when school starts, yikes. So, once I get back up in Northern California, all this indulgent eating is going to have to come to an end! Fitness is a mindset, so for the 8 hours I am driving back, I am going to program my brain into a fitness and healthy eating machine!

Still Learning....and some Good Things

Truths of the morning:

• I am still a rookie making rookie mistakes.
• Icepacks are cold and the burn reminds you to make better decisions
• Fast miles are only fast if they don't injure you for your next run

So, I cut the 6 miles run short after a three quarter mile jog irritated my calf. After I sprinted 1.2 miles at a pace a minute faster than my usual, my right calf started feeling strained. Not tight like usual; this was a completely different feeling. I think the sacrifice of 1.5 miles towards my weekly training goal will be worth the RICE that will get me back out for 14 miles Sunday.

So enough of my stupid runner habits. Time for some Good Things!

Perhaps the best thing of 2011 is that today I present my research and hopefully get the thumbs up for my Masters Degree. WooHoo! FedexOffice processed my poster wrong, and mistakenly gave me the deluxe package, so my research poster looks AMAZING! It seriously look professional, which gives me a huge confidence boost. I feel really good about today, and so happy I am almost finished!

Second good thing is that we will have our first guests for the new apartment tomorrow night. An old college roommate will be in town for dinner and drinks so I will get to wine and dine. I LOVE entertaining and can't wait to see her!

Lastly, I am going to do a little shopping this afternoon to help ease my anxiety before my presentation. Nothing like a little retail therapy. I wish I could tell you what I am looking for, but I don't want to spoil any surprises. I have been wanting to buy presents so bad recently, so this is going to be fun!

On a side note, I am trying to find someone to help me make a financial plan for myself and figure out how to manage upcoming student loans, set up retirement, and begin saving for a home. I want to focus more on paying off debt and saving for big ticket items. Any advice on finding a financial planner who can help me reach these goals?

Decisions, Decisions

Today I was given the opportunity to apply for a grant that would allow me to get my general science credential for free. Which would be awesome if I end up teaching a physics/algebra block class. Only trouble is that it would start as soon as I got back from Tahiti and I would have to spend a lot of time studying for the general science examinations. I haven't even finished my Masters and I am already thinking about going back to school... thats a real teacher for you.

I had hoped to step up my running big time and do a ton of experimenting in the kitchen this summer. Scheduling more classes is totally going to ruin that. On one hand it is free, and I bet I am going to get bored just running and cooking; on the other hand, I have NEVER had a summer in my adult life where I wasn't insanely busy. Will I be foolishly missing out on a great opportunity or do I just need to relax? I have until the end of the month to decide.

First goal for 2011 met!

I case you missed it, my goals for the new year are here. In summary, they are to donate blood at least once (needle phobia), run an entire marathon (not walk parts due to poor training), and set new PR's for 5k, 10k, half and full marathons.

The good news: I donated blood and fulfilled one of my three goals for the new year. I didn't get much feedback on my blood donation post so I assumed marathon runners don't give blood or it was just one of those lazy weeks where people don't feel like posting. Or my post was just super crappy. But probably not ;)

Now I know that people training for marathons probably aren't blood donors because it really screws up your training. The goals was to donate Friday and maybe become a regular blood donor. I hear that giving blood saves the lives of a million babies per pint, saves the world, and pretty much makes you everyone's hero. Who wouldn't want to save a million babies in 30 minutes? Instead we relived the "let's pass out in front of the students" and see the light/speak to God" experience of 2008. I believe the technical term I overheard them use as I drifted off to that mansion in the sky was "code light blue". Aren't I dramatic? Or is it just the over-use of "quotation marks"?

Long story short, they got the blood so the goal was met. Bad news is that the kind head nurse explained that some people are just not blood donors, and that I shouldn't come back for another donation. The jury is out on whether I should get a second opinion. My painfully stiff arm and my dear mother say no, the jolly phlebotomist who nursed me back to life says yes. I think we might wait 3 more years for a verdict.

Oh, and I can't do any moderate to strenuous activity for 2 days. At least I will be in the clear for my long run Sunday. I might be a bad patient and try an easy 2 miles today so I am only 4 miles behind instead of 6. Boo.

The bright side is that I am sooooo close to being done with UC Davis. My research poster looks AMAZING and it is over 50% done. Once I present on Friday (6 days!!!!!) I will pretty much be done with my Master's Degree. Sweet relief!

Next goal: run the Boston Marathon, no injuries, no walking breaks!

Good Things to help pull me through another week

When the going gets tough, you have to find some good things to hold onto. Now I have gained back a small bit of sanity, I need to give myself something solid to hold onto so I don't fall to pieces between now and my Master's symposium.

Good Thing #1: Despite the craziness, I am still getting in 3 runs/workouts a week. This week, which has been the hardest in a while, was the highest mileage week of 2011 with 15.5 miles run (4 runs: 6mi, 2mi, 5mi, 2.5mi). Nothing compared to the miles I was logging last summer, but not bad considering limited daylight hours, overwhelming workload, and school responsibilities. I am very excited to keep upping my long run mileage and hit 10 miles tomorrow. Hooray!

Good Thing #2: I finally am getting my grad school work under control. After much anguish, i feel like my plan is clear, I know exactly what I need to get done, and how I am going to do it. This makes me feel a lot less overwhelmed, and happy I might actually be able to take a night off for Valentines Day. In two weeks everything will be submitted, in four weeks I will be completely done. Everything is happening so fast!

Good Thing #3: Some of my classroom interventions are finally starting to show positive effects. Some of my students who failed last semester are making a comeback in a great way. They are seeing the fruition of hard work and perseverance and their self-efficacy is on  the rise. There is nothing more rewarding for a teacher. I am hoping that the careful planning of polynomials and factoring unit is going to have positive effects on learning and produce lots of proficient kids. It helps that my department chair is impressed with my work and tells me that my kids are lucky to be receiving such instruction. These are all the little things that keep my going and make me consider staying in secondary education.

I can't wait to have my life back. I want to train more, cook more, and see friends more. I want to dream about making sorbet instead of have nightmares about drowning in research and forgetting to go into work. Yikes!

Good Things are Back!

I haven't done goo things for a long time, but waking up feeling great after a crummy night, I thought I should should put these warm fuzzy feelings down before I gets the grumps again.

The first good thing is that this week I taught to the top of class, and I feel really good about it. Usually I teach to the middle/low middle because majority of my students are low achievers (this class is kinda remedial). Now realize that I have really high expectations for all my students, regardless of "achievement level", and this has earned me the reputation of being a really hard teacher. But this week, I stuck to my guns, assigned a lot of really hard problems, and had real surprises on who stepped up to plate. C students from last semester really ate up the properties of radicals, which just tickled my fancy. Higher homework attempt rate, more questions about difficult problems. Although we bomb the formative assessment on radicals miserably yesterday, I am really proud of the effort that some of my students are putting in.

The second good thing is kinda shallow, but I love my new eyeliner. It is the best eyeliner I have ever worn. Goes on beautifully, doesn't have to be sharpened, has a little smudger on the end, and wears amazingly. Thanks Dad for always giving the perfect Christmas presents (I am sure with a little help from Mom).

Also good: the copiuos amounts of Godiva chocolate sitting on my kitchen counter. Hundreds of dollars worth. Godiva stopped by JF's winery this week and gave him a ton of treats to show their appreciation. Chocolate bars, truffles, cookies, belgian chocolates, and tons of other stuff. I have been really good to not devour it all in one day. I fact, I am still feeling great about my new workout plan and can already start to feel and see the results. Mom's advice: get the chocolate out of the house. It is only going to make me sad when it is time to go to Tahiti. Too bad I don't have a more popular blog...I could be giving this stuff away as give-a-ways!

The final good thing is seeing friends two weeks in a row. I am so tired/stressed out from Grad school, but it is so worth it to see my lady Maggie. Only 7 more weeks of Grad School. Maybe the longest 7 weeks of my life, but it is less than 2 months, which is fantastic.

Here's hoping you have a fantastic weekend. Although I am not a very religious person, I would appreciate you keep friends of mine in your thoughts and prayers. Their pup is pretty sick and we want to send him on the path of speedy recovery. What a good thing it will be to post about his recovery :)

Good Things? No, GREAT THINGS!!!!

Out of chaos comes the best week ever. 2 job offers from two amazing schools. Good move out from the apartment. And coming home to see my nephew, who has the best laugh and smile I have ever seen. I can't imagine how life gets better than this!

I am very excited to be the newest Math teacher at Vintage High School in Napa, CA. The people working in Napa Valley Unified School District are great and I am very excited to move to Napa and become part of the community. I feel like so many things have come together to get me here. Hard work really does pay off. I AM SO FREAKIN HAPPY!!!!!!!

So, I will celebrate tonight by going to the wineries for music, picnic, and lots of the good red stuff. I think this is going to be the best summer ever!

Burning Out!

"Hello, my name is Stephanie. Here is a some stuff I have put together to prove to you I can be a hard working teacher slave even in the summer months. I eat, sleep, and breathe education. HIRE ME."

Today I spent 12 hours putting together an inter-thematic unit map (ITU), a detailed unit plan for the math unit that integrates into the ITU, and a summary of the lesson plans that would be included in the ITU, resulting in a 8 page document. I hope this is the golden ticket to employment. I haven't work this hard since my content area tasks for my credential performance assessment. If I get the job, do you think I'll get retro pay for this? With the sweltering heat, I feel like I have been trapped in a lesson planning sweatshop today.

Coming up with neat ways to bring different curriculum strands together is very engaging for me. I like doing it, and thats how I know I am going to the right career field. Just not when it is 103 degrees in the apartment, I have a whole other interview to prepare for (HS Math in Napa, YAY!), and an apartment to move out of in less than 48 hours. I feel like a crazy person! I don't know if I would make it through this without teacher friends calling to check in on my sanity and best friends pitching in to help move me and house me through the transition.

Mom's words of wisdom on the situation: When it rains, it pours. I wish it was raining cool refreshing water from the sky along with all the opportunities and obligations that are stacking on top of each other. Let's hope I get the job and can use all this planning next year with my students.

No Pressure?

I was recently told that people in my program placed bets that I would be the first in the cohort to land a job... but so far I haven't even had an official interview. And this is worrisome to these people, because my lack of interviews represents to them something much bigger than my own success/failure.

Part of me has accepted the fact I might not find employment for the upcoming school year, and I have a plan B to address that. But now I feel a bigger responsibility to step up the search and find a position. No, the faculty recommendation did not go anywhere (boo), but I feel like people are depending on me to get a job, so I have to find some magic and make it happen.

What I would give to find the secret to getting an interview. I know that once I get interviews, I will have a job in no time.

Good Things: Keeping That Chin Up

The purpose of the original good things was bring the good juju and keep a positive frame of mind. Looking forward or reflecting back, keeping sight of what is good makes life better.

This week we are going to look forward to the good things that are coming up this week: three of my favorite people will be spending some time in Davis next week to help celebrate the completion of my teaching credential, a faculty member is going to recommend me for a job/put in a good word for me, and the last of day of school for my favorite little people will be here in no time.

My Supervisor gave me a book of poetry today by Francisco X. Alarcon titled Laughing Tomatoes (Jitomates Risuenos). The boom concludes with the following poem written in both English and Spanish:

Universal Spiral              Espiral universal

there are                          no hay
no endings                      finales

just new                          solo nuevos
beginnings                      principios

And that pretty much sums up good things for this week.