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Archive for March, 2013

Spring Break :)

March 31st, 2013 at 12:43 am

Ahhhh..... On day two of ten. I can feel the stress of the last few months slowly draining away.

On Thursday night I got a call asking me if I would babysit the two students I've babysat for before a few times this year. Although that wasn't quite how I envisioned spending my first day of break, I gladly agreed. The three of us had a good bit of fun. Smile We played "baseball," kicked around a soccer ball, tossed a nerf ball back and forth over the gate, and watched a little tv. (Plus both girls spent a good amount of time playing games on my phone.) The dad got back an hour later than he was supposed to (and still only gave me $30) but I didn't really care enough to fuss about it. It wasn't like I had anything else I really *had* to do. Smile

I went to church this morning, and only was mildly disruptive with my coughing. Enough so so that everyone realized why I hadn't been there the last two weeks though. Smile

The yearbook was submitted on Thursday morning - still with one student's photo missing. Oh well. Hopefully it being nearly two weeks late isn't going to affect the return time too much. I'm just glad to be done with it for another year.

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I ordered a $25 AGC from SBs today, and will have enough for the 5 $5 AGCs by the 3rd of April. I also got an email from Nielsen mobile telling me I'd been awarded more points -- so I traded in my points for a $50 AGC. (I just use my phone normally and earn points each month.)

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I finally managed to mail in the paperwork for moving my IRA from the bank CD to Vanguard on Thursday. I'd had the statement I needed for a couple weeks, but just kept procrastinating on getting an envelope. Hopefully it will arrive in time to get it changed over - otherwise it will be two more years before I can do anything with it. Ugh.

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A number of the teachers/staff that have stayed here for break are getting together tomorrow for an Easter brunch. It should be interesting.

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I had something interesting come up this week. On Tuesday I think it was, I got an email from Citi telling me that I had an overdue balance on my card. Since the only thing I use that for is my Netflix subscription (which should be free after the *bonus* each month) I was wondering what was the problem. I checked the website/statements and figured out that for some reason I hadn't gotten a January statement, but that the January and February Netflix charges were both on the February statement. Thus the balance. I called and they ended up giving me a $10 credit "for your inconvenience" but their reasoning for why it happened was stupid. Something to do with February only having 28 days and the billing cycles .. At any rate, it was resolved with no interest hit to me nor a credit report hit. No more short months before the end of the free year of Netflix, so I don't need to worry about a repeat.

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I talked to my mom for a short bit this afternoon. She told me that the lady she's taking piano lessons from has been giving her "mad minutes" to help her learn the note names. So I asked her to send me copies of those mad minutes. Smile

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Not much else interesting that I can think of right now. Just so happy to have this break. So needed it.

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Happy Easter everyone!

Ugh. Double Ugh.

March 26th, 2013 at 12:04 am

Several times today I had to bite my tongue to not say, "If you think you can do a better job, then go for it!"

Today was our extended yearbook deadline. We had the first extension because of my getting sick last weekend. Guess what? It's still not done.

I got as much done as I could over the weekend without actually being at the school. I figured there was maybe another hour or two's worth to finish - just needed to upload some pictures and then double check everything one more time.

Guess what? Our servers were down today. The servers where all the pictures I needed are located.

Then to make it even more fun, I had teachers coming by to do a final check of their homeroom pages. They luckily caught mistakes which I had thought were already fixed ... but a few of them also complained about the photos that had been chosen for their page. One in particular did a lot of complaining. That was the one who I wanted to bite their head off.

Of course, even if I could've gotten to the pictures on the server today, I still wouldn't have made the deadline. Because I was told by my principal that I couldn't have any slot on a homeroom page with a "No Photo" filler. I have to get photos of ALL of them. Is it just me, or isn't the way yearbooks handle photos of kids that aren't there for the school photos with a No Photo filler?! Argh!

We'll be lucky to have the copies back before school is over at this rate.

I am just so OVER with this. Teachers, if you want better pictures, then you better TAKE pictures and GIVE them to me, or let me know when to have someone come take them!!

So yeah. My day stunketh pretty much. At least the kids behaved pretty well in all my classes. One bright spot.

Three days. Three days. Three days.

Inexpensive Good Nights Sleep

March 23rd, 2013 at 03:35 am

Tuesday night I slept well, still from the after effects of the cough syrup with coedine. Wednesday night ... not so well. Partly I think due to the Mucinex I took around 6 p.m.

So Thursday I decided to stop at the dollar store and pick up something someone had suggested to me. Vicks vapor rub - although I picked up the two dollar generic version. Guess what? I got nearly a full six hours of sleep uninterrupted by coughing! Yay! Of course, as soon as I woke up and started moving a bit, my chest/lungs felt full/heavy and the coughing fits began again in earnest. But ... I got a good nights sleep!

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I'm still waiting for the reimbursement check for my book seminar that I went on the first week of March. My statement with the hotel charge on it is due in two weeks ... Of course I can pay it no problem, just would rather have the reimbursement money first to pay it with. Oh well.

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Had some strange weather here this afternoon. Phone weather app said it was in the mid-50's when my colleague and I went for our walk. It was really windy, and the wind got colder and colder as we walked. As we were nearing back home, both of us saw little white pellets bouncing off her dogs body. It was sleeting! For all of maybe a minute .. then it turned to rain, and then it was gone .. all about three minutes or so. No mention of rain or precipitation in the forecast.

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I finally got my Person of Interest season 1 DVD set mailed off to Second Spin yesterday. I bought it from Amazon for about $24, and sold it to SS for $11. I'd missed 8 episodes of the first season thanks to CBS stopping showing full episodes after episode 13 (I think.)

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Yesterday was payday. I haven't updated my budget files in awhile. I'd been doing so well at keeping up with that, but I may have to do another fresh start. Oh well.

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Wednesday night when I was having trouble sleeping, I watched a newish B-flick disaster movie on Netflix -- SuperCyclone. Hoo boy! This is one I'd love to have the Mystery Science Theater crowd "view". I've seen some poorly acted films with bad writing, but this one .. takes the cake! It was fun though. Smile

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Only 4 more school days til Spring Break - all ten days of it! We ALL are so ready for it! Most of the kids this week have been really sweet though I have to say.

Yesterday afternoon I had my second graders and was showing them some new books. One of them said, "Miss N why does your voice sound so strange?" I told them that I'd been really sick and coughing a lot. One of them then piped up, "Oh yeah, that was you coughing during Mass. It was really loud." Hah! Smile

My 4 year olds really surprised me. Every time we start with the song "Hello Everybody" and then sing a variety of mostly action verses. They usually sing with me pretty well, but Thursday I didn't have much of a voice to sing too loudly .. so they picked up the volume quite well. Smile

UP ALL night!

March 19th, 2013 at 03:39 pm

Wow. So last night before heading to bed I took the doctor prescribed cough syrup with codeine. It's purpose was to suppress my cough and help me sleep.

Guess what I got 10 hours of and counting? Not sleep that's for sure! Extra harsh hacking and my brain buzzing unable to shut off, but definitely no sleep.

I finally got up a bit after 8 and fed my cat and ate some breakfast. Finally after sitting down at the computer and starting to work on a few things, sleepiness hit. Seriously. it took over 9 hours to start working???

The one upside to being wide awake at 4 in the morning on a Monday was that I had a chance to talk to a friend of mine who's normal awake time is 5 pm - 8 am or so, and has Monday nights off. We usually keep in contact via email. It was really nice catching up over the phone - it's weird how there is a different type of communication that happens over the phone rather than through email. I think that's why I like having a combination - so you have the more lighthearted give and take of a phone conversation, as well as the more thought out/planned out/hear me out of an email.

I think I kept poor Kari awake most of the night too - she's zonked out on my lap right now. Smile

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Wish I could take the medicine back and get a refund - but since it is a controlled substance, I doubt they'd go for that . . not to mention that it's opened. Oh well.

I am glad I'm not going into work today ... that would not go well with the state I'm in at the moment (loopy and on the sleepy verge.) Also am glad I wrote today's lesson plans yesterday, because I'm not sure how much sense they'd make if I tried to make them this morning!

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Tomorrow I think I better check in with my principal about how many sick days I've used this year. I have been sick a lot more than usual this year, and *really* was not wanting to use any more sick days this year - personal days, yes, but not sick days. (We get 7 sick days and 3 personal days.)

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Wow. I don't know how many of you watch the SBTV mobile health channel, but they sure have some freaky videos on there ... pole dancing, other um... dancing (fully clothed! just ... um... interesting) etc. It used to be the health channel was the shortest vids, now most of them are 2 minutes plus. Yawn.

Bronchitis

March 18th, 2013 at 07:13 pm

Went to the doctor this morning, and she confirmed that I do have bronchitis. She gave me a prescription for antibiotics and a cough syrup w/codeine. Also a note for two days off work (mostly need it for Gym Pact since I missed a day of my pact last week. But I also had to have our yearbook deadline extended a week ... so figured it would be a good idea to have proof of *really* being sick.)

Between OTC stuff and copay and new meds, I really don't care to think how much I spent the past few days. Thankfully the medical category was fairly flush, so should be able to handle it.

It's funny. I knew my body was majorly wearing down and I needed to take some time off. I had scheduled Wednesday as a personal day ... guess my body decided I needed to take time off sooner than that.

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Got some laundry and dishes done this weekend. Both were badly needed. Thankfully there really isn't much to doing either - just timing when doing it so I don't use too much water at the same time. (It probably doesn't matter, but I'd rather not use a lot of water at the same time, or close together. Our septic system is pretty ancient.)

ok, need to write lesson plans for tomorrow (I asked if I'd still be contagious tomorrow due to being concerned about my co-worker going through Chemo - her surgery is scheduled for a week from Monday I think. Doctor said it probably would be good to stay home.)

Sick :(

March 16th, 2013 at 02:51 am

Well it seems like my allergies have done the thing I dread most when they've gone on and on without end ... settled into my chest. Yesterday during the book sale I was starting to feel crummy, but could do nothing about it. 10 hour day. (Made $107! Selling books that were duplicates or just not wanted for our library.)

I might need to figure out if there are any places I can go on the weekend besides the ER here. Hoping it's not bronchitis, but my cough has gotten deeper and deeper today, and am hearing wheezing when I breathe ... not good signs.

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Today at work (yes, I went to work - still need to make those emergency lesson plans, not to mention needed to take pictures of drama club's play -very cute!) I typed up instructions for the different groups of kids and told them they *must* read the instructions *first* before asking me for help. Most of them did a pretty good job of it, and it cut down on a lot of the questions. That was good, because I really was NOT feeling it today.

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I went into town this afternoon (after taking care of the pastor's pets) and stopped at Walgreens. I debated on whether to go inside, or to go in the car lane. I decided to go in the car lane because my feet were hurting and I wanted to avoid temptations inside. 20+ minutes later with ONE car ahead of me, I finally had my turn! Yikes! A lady behind me about ten minutes into the wait yelled out her window "What's with the holdup!?" I just kind of rolled my eyes - as if an answer to that question would speed anything along.

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I'll probably go to bed as soon as I hit the daily goal for SBs - of course it would have to be 100 and NO surveys I qualify for (tried a dozen+). At least I had one search win (27).

Ok, off now to catch up on the blogs.

Tired, etc.

March 12th, 2013 at 02:35 am

Well I knew better than posting without copying first ... Ugh!

At any rate today was a long, busy day. I had three extra periods of having kids - 4th grade girls came in to check in/out books; journalism kids came in to work on yearbook (per my begging their teachers...), and 5th grade came in and did the photo study presentations (which greatly impressed our principal as well as the parents of a new potential student who was visiting.)

I didn't get much sleep last night thanks to my tooth/teeth/sinuses/whatever it is acting up again. Hoping to have a few minutes to call and get doctor/dentist appointments tomorrow.

Am seriously considering quitting 6 month cohort program. I already have earned 6 credits and one certificate, and the electives I can finish this summer for another 9 credits. By quitting now I'd lose out on 3 credits and one certificate. But I'd also lose a lot of stress and gain back my evenings.

Yearbook deadline is on the 18th, and there is still a LONG ways to go. This Thursday we're having a library discard book sale (same day as p/t conferences.) I just have no energy to try to catch up with last weeks assignments, or deal with this weeks 2 1/2 hr webinar and whatever assignments will go along with that ... then of course doing the final project (which I don't have much done on at all.)

Ugh.

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Last night I did something I'd been thinking about for a long, long time. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing to do or not, but it seems to have opened up a new, more open line of communication. We'll see I guess.

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On Sunday I went to town and spent my $15 in coupons, plus another $20 at Safeway. Looking at the receipt later I realized that I was supposed to have spent at least $75 to use the $10 coupon ... oops!

On the way back I spent some time with my pastor's pets - they're out of town for a week. Thankfully they only asked me to check on them Sunday and Friday, otherwise I might have freaked out. (not really, but I do think I would have had to tell them no.)

Ok, trying to post again. Smile

Checking In

March 9th, 2013 at 03:48 am

It's been a long busy week. Some of it quite stressful and frustrating, and some not.

I went to ABQ Wednesday evening so I could attend the Judy Freeman seminar the next day. I had to rush all the way there so I could get on the computer at the hotel by 6 p.m. when the 2 1/2 webinar started for my class. It had been changed to Google Hangouts on Tuesday. Guess what? The hotel computer did not have the plugin for Google Hangouts, and it wouldn't let me install it. My iPad's Google Hangout app also would not let me join the current session - it had an old invite and would not update.

So ... I sat there at the computer for 2 1/2 hours staring at the chat box (aka backchannel) trying to follow what was going on.

...Can you say that I am SO ready for this class to be over???

The seminar was awesome, as expected. Smile I came away with a long list of books that I'd like to order ... however I don't think that's going to happen.

Today was our inservice day. I got a phone call from the person who writes the checks at the mission telling me she'd gotten an invoice from Sch)lastic. Ooops. I'd forgotten to hand in that purchase order ... from December. In the process of hunting for it I found another purchase order that for whatever reason also had not been handed in (both were already approved.) I have NO IDEA why I hadn't turned it in - and neither did my assistant.

So, yeah. I have the feeling whatever books I purchase the rest of the year will be from Amazon Gift Cards.

I'm still having trouble with the pains in my legs - kind of like electric impulses or stings. Not as bad as that one night where I couldn't sleep at all, but they're still definitely happening. I'd planned on making a doctor and dentist appointment today for Spring Break, but I barely got to even 10% of the things I needed to do - thanks to multiple people asking for help on various things. Totally don't mind it - because I do want to be a help to the teachers/staff ... but it just makes me remember ... "All you do is re-shelve books, right?" If only.

Maybe I'll have time on Tuesday to call and make the appointments ...

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Something funny. Yesterday was payday. We are supposed to pick up our check stubs and sign that we got them by the end of the day Thursday. This afternoon the 8th grade teacher/LA teacher was in the library (I'd called her to tell her that we'd had a cassette tape donated of Poe's writings being read - she was excited.) Both of us had completely forgotten that the day before was payday - the art teacher was in the computer lab finishing her grades. She was so surprised that we'd both forgotten. Smile As the 8th grade teacher and I walked to the office to get our stubs, we both talked about why we really didn't get all that excited about payday. It was kind of nice .. I think she'd be a good contributor here .. although I think she just doesn't think about money that much at all - other than knowing how to not spend above her means.

New Snowflake Generator, etc

March 2nd, 2013 at 05:44 pm

I don't know if there is a version for Android phones/tablets, but I discovered a new app which allows you to earn giftcards/paypal cash. It is called App Trailers. I downloaded it last night and already redeemed and received a $1 AGC! All you have to do is watch short videos advertising various phone apps, or tv show trailers, etc.

Nice Smile I haven't seen a way to use / get a referral code, but I thought some of you might be interested. Smile

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I have cashed in for my first 4 AGC's from Swagbucks. Tomorrow I'll get my 5th one, and probably a $25 one as well. That will give me $50 in AGC money just from SB this month. Smile I'll have around 800 leftover towards April's giftcards.

I'd like to see if I can earn enough to get $40 of gift cards in April. (This month I was able to do a large deal, but I can't count on that happening too often.)

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Yesterday I went into town and spent $80 at Safeway. $23 of that was spent on Morningstar products. There was a deal - spend $20 on certain freezer aisle products, and get $5.00 coupon towards your next order. So, I got that, plus another $10 off coupon and a $.50 coupon for Stouffer's (I love their spinach souffle.) It wasn't all groceries, I also got asprin, cat food, and a birthday card.

I'm thinking of going back on Friday and if the same deal is still on, buying another $20 worth of Morningstar products (they have the corn dogs!!) which would only really cost me $5... Hmm... Will have to make sure I have enough freezer space.

The only reason I went to Safeway instead of Walmart is because I realized that the 5% grocery deal with Chase probably doesn't include Walmart... oops. I used 3 coupons I printed from SBs - asprin, cat food, and some snack food. I probably would have done better on some of these deals at Walmart, but I also wouldn't have gotten the corn dogs or the $15.50 in coupons!!

I also filled up my car - $3.39/gallon. According to my gas buddy app, my last tank gave me 32.9 miles/gallon. Not bad at all. Smile

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I am so glad it is the weekend! It was a long week. I was kind of sad on Thursday afternoon because I had my last technology club session (I'll be in ABQ next Thursday, and then the following Thursday is PT Conferences .. and then no more after school activities.)

I'm mostly looking forward to the book seminar I'll be going to on Thursday. The seminar itself I'm majorly looking forward to, it's just all the lesson plans I'm going to have to leave for the assistants and wondering if they'll actually even do them!!

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I'm debating the wisdom of sending the $2000 from my refunds straight to my car loan. I'm thinking about holding it out as an emergency fund, which I could then use to send to the car loan in June or July if I see that everything appears to be stable here. I've just been hearing some unsettling rumors about the finances here ... I'm still going to do at least a double payment, but I think I'll be holding off on sending anymore huge extra payments. I'll still have the money to send if everything still looks good, but I think it would help me sleep a little better knowing I have a good stash in cash .. just in case.