LimboLady's Xanga

Student Teaching

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:44:21 GMT

Well, I am now officially a student teacher at Hayward High School, Hayward, California. My master teacher has been teaching for 10 years, and I observe/help with 3 classes every morning with her. She is full of great ideas and is happy to include me in making them happen. Her 11th grade students are currently reading Catcher in the Rye. Not anywhere near my favorite! My teacher was telling me that the guy who assassinated John Lennon and the guy who tried to assassinate Pres. Reagan were both carrying this book with them when they carried out their dastardly deeds!!!

Anyway, I will be student teaching every day from 8-12:30. Then I have classes at my college Mon/Wed/Thur from 4:30-7:30, and one online class. Do they think we are Super(wo)men or what??? Not looking forward to this part of my schedule. And organizing/pricing things to sell at my dad's house for the estate sale we are going to put on, hopefully near the beginning of October.

Busy, busy, busy...

Spring Cleaning in the Fall

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:04:32 GMT

Okay, I'm not too proud to say it--I'm a born slob. I find cleaning to be a huge waste of time away from all the other things I'd rather be doing. So I put it off till I have company coming to visit from out of town. Texas, to be exact. Not family, a girlfriend from way back, who happens to be neat (but then again, just about everyone's neater than me). So I thought I'd share a few pictures of my "new, improved" apartment. All this would not have happened without my Organizer Extraordinaire, julie. She poked, prodded, cajoled; pointed out all the positive outcomes from this task; gave us breaks when we needed them; saw the funny side of things I was too distressed/discouraged to see; and generally was an all-around cheerleader and exhorter. I highly recommend her to anyone here in the Bay Area--I hear her rates are very reasonable! So here's the proof:
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Amazing, eh? Now, to keep it this way....stay tuned!

"The Wall"

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:55:17 GMT

Okay, so I had to show off my new antique nightstand that I got from my dad's house. It has a little door on the front and two side places for books, magazines, and such. Then I got to thinking about the wall it sits against, and thought I'd photograph what's on that wall: my graduation when I got my A. A. degree in 2000 (in art and ASL); meeting Sandi Patty at the county fair and getting my picture taken with her (yes, this was totally a high point for me!); two plaques with sayings that I really like; my calendar with photos of historical happenings in San Francisco; a photo of my girls that I got taken at Sears for their dad for Father's Day one year; a montage of photos of Lake Tahoe when I went there one time with my dad, sister, and brother; and my jewelry holder, which needs to be thinned out, obviously. What is on YOUR bedroom wall???

Aiden #2

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:05:09 GMT

Aiden #1

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:19:24 GMT

Had a short bit of Grandma Time today with one of my two favorite good-looking young men! Aiden is growing so fast, it seems. He's almost 17 months and still doesn't say a lot. It's such a change from girls! Now sound effects, he's great at! He still loves to laugh and be silly (that's a still shot of him dancing in the kitchen!). But he also has his moments: when he doesn't get his way, he shows his anger by plopping himself down wherever he's standing and screeches. His mother says, "I don't care if you don't like it, that's how it is," and walks away. He watches, gets up and goes about his day! When I came in, he had a small bag of chips in his hand and was busy shoving as many as he could get in his mouth! Is that a boy thing? I'm a mother of 4 girls, remember?!

Hobbling Toward the Finish Line...for now

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:25:08 GMT

Long time, no write. There's been drama, but such is life. My stepmother went to be with the Lord on June 22, the same day I started the teaching credential program at college. Helped my dad move into a small apartment in his assisted living place. Celebrated his 82nd birthday on July 20th (see photo). Got hired on 10 hrs./wk. as Arts & Entertainment Editor on my school paper. Finally got my diploma in the mail the other day (If you look closely, you can see Arnold Schwarzenneggar's signature at the bottom left--I bet I could sell this as a collector's item 50 years from now!!!).

So I admit it's been a lousy week...actually a lousy quarter, all seven weeks of it. Going from the high of graduation into a Teaching Credential program is like leaping off a tall building, realizing halfway down that you are not, after all, Superman! It has been like being in Greek class (all five classes) and trying valiantly to understand what is being said. Apparently there are a lot of students in my classes who have already been teaching for some time, so they completely understand how to put together a lesson plan, and do assessments (both formal and informal), and deal with classroom environment and know what all the psychologists say about deal with children in a classroom. I. DO. NOT!!! Not to mention that it has been a compressed schedule of work. I learned how to do a podcast, and if I ever become a rock star, I suppose that might be helpful in the future. Other than that, it's been rather depressing.

On the up side, it will all be over by this Thursday, at which time I will begin a new project--major overhaul of my too-cluttered apartment. My dear friend has been helping me, even though she has fibromyalgia which is to say the least, debilitating. She gently prods, makes jokes, picks things up and looks at me quizzically as I say, "Dump" or "Sell." We finished the spare room last week so that my friend who is coming to visit over Labor Day will have a bed and room to sleep in. Next I think will be the kitchen.

So maybe I'll take an overnighter to Carmel or Tahoe, just to calm down and decide that learning to become a teacher is really worth it...

GRADUATION!!!

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:05:24 GMT

Glorious! That's the best word I can come up with for it. It was a beautiful day, sunny with just a nice breeze to keep it from being too hot. I have to admit that the best part came after the actual ceremony. BUT the author, Khaled Husseini (sp?)--you know, the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns"--was given an honorary doctorate and he also made a speech, which was kinda cool. He lives in Fremont where I was born and raised. Although, I must say he did spend a great deal of time talking about his pet project, which is world hunger. Still, it was a highlight.

But as I said, the best part was afterwards, when my friends met with me at a hamburger place called Fuddrucker's. Sometimes it can seem like I don't really have very many friends, but this wasn't one of them. There were all 4 of my daughters (my eldest graduated with me); my dear friend and counselor, Vicki; my grandson, Jordan (who was having a bad asthma day ); my sort-of-new friend, Vicki (2 different Vicki's); and my old friends, Julie, Julie, Sabrina, and Judy, plus 2 of their spouses. Oh, my goodness! I felt so very loved!!! My oldest daughter gave me a lei, and so did Vicki #2. It was one of those things I'd never get for myself, too frivolous--but made me feel all the more special. #2 daughter brought me carnations (my favorite flower); #3 daughter brought me a bouquet in a vase which she picked and arranged from her own garden--just beautiful! And one daughter bought me a giant lemon square for dessert (which I wouldn't have gotten myself). The talk and laughter around the table just felt so good and right and loving. And oh, yes--my father came to the graduation ceremony! He is 82 and I know he'd rather not have sat in the sun for 2 hours and listen to all the boring talk, but he did it for me. And his wife is dying, too. It is so good to be reassured of how much my father loves me.

I am loved. And I start the teaching credential program in one week. Sigh... Photo from the school newspaper--my editor liked the idea of me writing an article ab/ my daughter and me graduating together, so this picture ran on the front page!! WOW! Now the local newspaper wants to do a piece on us, I'm told. We'll see.

A Different Kind of Easter

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:29:17 GMT

It was a different kind of Easter this year...just me and Brianne and Jordan and Audrey and Aiden. This is Audrey (who was taking care of Aiden while Gracie had to work all day , and so did Chrissie), waiting to be seated at Mimi's Cafe after church. Brianne and Jordan joined us. I spent most of the church service watching Aiden toddle around the church gym, while he experimented with sounds--he loved how they echoed off the walls--and played in the jungle gym (he is particularly fascinated with opening and closing doors of any kind) and listening to the pastor's sermon on the loudspeakers till they went out near the end of the sermon. At least Audrey got to listen. I miss the big family dinners we always used to have on the holidays--ham, mashed potatoes, peas, corn, rolls, jello, dessert. Life goes on. My daughters continue to watch me, how I deal with life's changes, how I continue to cling to the Lord through it all. And I pray.

Palm Sunday

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:03:08 GMT

Today at church they gave out palm branches, so I took a couple extra home and put them on my front door. Good witness and great easy decor all in one! Thank you, Lord!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:34:17 GMT

Not quite one (on March 31st), I got to go see my grandson, Aiden, in his new apartment last week. He's got 6 teeth now (!!!) and did a great job of slobbering on my key fob so that it took a day or so to dry out before I could use it again to unlock my car Just glad it got back to normal at all! He's still the happy little boy, although he's learning he can't pull off Grandma's glasses or touch the heater, and he's got a bit of a temper. But his mother deals well with it, which I'm proud to see. In case you're wondering what his shirt says, it's "Stud Muffin." Too cute! Have y'all seen the pacifiers that say, "Mute button"? What'll they think of next?