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Archive for March, 2014

Bad Day

April 1st, 2014 at 02:28 am

This afternoon with my last class of the day, something happened that I'd been concerned about since starting working here. Two boys got into a fight over a computer, and the first inkling I had of it was when one of them screamed in pain.

The layout of the library is NOT conducive to being able to have eyes on everyone at all times to say the least. If I'm helping a kid at the catalog computers, I pretty much only have a view of the E fiction section, and nothing else. If I'm back in the older kids section helping a kid find something (like today), I have extremely limited vision (as in only the aisle I'm in, unless I'm standing on the side of the shelving.) If I'm in either of the E sections, then I can see into the computer area and the E sections, but have no to little knowledge of what's happening in the stacks (older kids section.)

This particular group of students have given me NO problems whatsoever this year, and so I am not as vigilant with them as say the ... 7th or 8th grade groups. The two boys in particular have NEVER shown aggression towards each other either (I spoke to their teacher, and he agreed.)

Essentially, both boys wanted to use the same computer to look up books. One pushed the other out of the chair, and the other preceded to pinch, twist, and pull the other's ear. The other one then retaliated by *biting* the other boys hand. (which resulted in the scream of pain)

So... for the second time in my 3 years here, I had to bring students to the principal. They both were very forthright in describing what had happened. As we headed to the nurses office to have their wounds checked out, I asked them what they could have done differently. They both had good answers.

Neither of their wounds were serious thankfully, although both will have bruises from it. I just hope their parents don't go ballistic and blame me for not supervising. Beyond not allowing either of them to use the computers for looking up books the remainder of the year, I really do not know what I could do differently. My principal suggested maybe we need 4 parent volunteers to stand in each blind spot area - that could work ...

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I had my first soda since sometime in September tonight. This incident was so upsetting to me, I'm not sure I can even explain why. I hate having kids in my care hurt, and I kind of feel like it's a failure on my part to not have been more on top of the situation ... even though I know there really was nothing I could do.

(The teacher assistant was at the circulation computer checking in books - which also is not in line sight of the catalog computers, but much closer in proximity than where I was. She didn't notice/hear anything either!)

Ebay, Hulu, Clothing purge

March 31st, 2014 at 02:19 am

I had 4 items end today on eBay - only 1 item sold (Person of Interest season 2 - $16.88 - almost $4 more than I paid for it. Big Grin) So I got to watch my show, and make a little money from it too. Sweet. Smile

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I was bored last night and decided to try using my Bing reward code for Hulu + for a month of service. I couldn't find anyplace to put the code, and clicked on a link that said restart (or something like that), not realizing it'd automatically charge my payment card. I sent customer service an email asking how to redeem my gift code. It probably won't work for this month, but hopefully it will for next month!

I was looking in my queue and saw that Journeyman was about to expire on Monday. I loved that show and was so sad when it was canceled - so I did a Journeyman gorgefest last night and today (13 episodes.)

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I went through my closet and drawers today and filled up two large trash bags with clothing. Most will be usable as clothing for others, some items might be thrown in the rag piles. I probably still could let go of some more, but I felt like progress had been made.

This started when I took my corduroy pants out of the wash and hung them to dry and noticed that the seat had a big hole. Frown These pants have gotten a lot of wear - especially the past two years. It was one of two pairs I bought off the clearance rack from Lane Bryant six? years ago. Both pairs are now defunct. I really hope I can find something similar to them - really, really liked them.

--I have two pairs of black pants that are usable left - although one only works with a belt. So, I think that a pants shopping excursion will be necessary before getting too far with any office job ...

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For lunches this week, I'm planning on eating through one of my cans of Big Franks (vege hot dogs), two cans of sweet peas, and a can of mandarin oranges. Smile Weird combo I know, but it works. Supper is gonna be a lot of soup... I have like 12 cans of soup, as well as 2 boxes of soup, and 4 cans of veggie broth ...

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ETA - Just after publishing this, I got a response from Hulu+ CS -- They told me to email them the gift code and they'd take care of it, and also the website address to apply future gift codes! Cool!

Small flakes - Cleaning Cupboard finds

March 29th, 2014 at 07:40 pm

I cashed out for $5 AGC from irazoo yesterday (takes forever to get - 3000 points!) Then today I made the 50k points on acheivemint . com to cash out for a $50 Visa card - but decided to go for the next level of 100k with a 2k bonus. I think I should be able to get there by late October. That'd be a good time of year to have a $100 coming my way. Smile

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I am a bit frustrated with GymPact right now. In the month of March I have cashed out twice for my $10 rewards. Usually, the cash payment is in my paypal account within two days or less. It's now been three weeks for the first one, and four days for the second one. They do now have a message saying that it could take up to 7 business days ... but for the first one it's been WAY more than 7 business days.

I've cashed out in the last 15 months or so with them multiple times with no problem. Until now. I really am hoping that this doesn't become par for course, because this is a great way to make a little extra money with just a little bit of effort beyond what I'd do anyway (taking pictures of fruit/veggies I eat for my veggie pact.)

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I started on the way to big G yesterday after school, and had just gotten on the highway, when I realized I didn't have any money with me. Ooops. So I turned around and went home. I decided to just not go grocery shopping.

I thought I would go today after church, but ended up not going to church (overslept!) Instead, I started cleaning out my cupboard - something I've needed to do badly for a long time, as well as something that will be good before I move.

I put pretty much everything on my kitchen table (and some on my chairs in boxes.) So, now my goal is to eat from the table/boxes. The only groceries I'll buy are perishables such as bananas. I'd like to get my pantry items down to one box worth before I move.

I may post a list of everything I have in my pantry to see if y'all can help me come up with the best ways to use the stuff up quickly. Smile

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I had to get up on a chair to reach to the back of my top cupboard. As I was doing that, you'll never guess what I found! The scanner that I turned house and car over looking for the past few months! It was in the little groove on the top of the cupboards (where I have several empty appliance boxes stored.) So I can now send it back to them. Smile (I just knew that I wouldn't have missed it being in the throw out pile when my mom was here!)

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A little over a week and NE will be here!!! Big Grin

About 7 1/2 weeks til I move to NE!!!! :big eyes:

Time is flying!

Some snowflakes, possible jobs, Car Loan!

March 26th, 2014 at 02:27 am

I cashed out for a $15 AGC from Swagbucks a few days ago. Also cashed out Bing points for a free month of Hulu+ (more on that later.) Yesterday I got another book to read and review - should have the $25 for it tomorrow (did reviews tonight.) I sold 3 items on eBay this weekend and 1 today.

*Bing and Swagbucks - UGH! So my plan to have a full month bonus in April is vamooshed. I was all set to have 3 SB codes by the time NE arrived, so all I'd have to do is redeem the codes. Thanks to SBs deciding not to have codes count towards the daily goal, that's not going to happen. So now my plan is to redeem Bing points for Hulu+ once a month, and then for AGCs otherwise. Seriously annoyed, although I do kind of understand SBs reasoning.

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I found out about a new jobsite - flexjob . com. You do have to pay to access the site, but if you google for coupon codes you should find one. I found one that made my first month $5. Flexjobs has lots of flexible schedule/telecommute type jobs. I've already applied for one that I could easily do in the evenings even now, and later could do more. There are a bunch more that I'm looking at applying to closer to May.

I also applied at Leapforce at Home. It's essentially surfing the net and evaluating websites.

Neither job will pay much, but it'd be something for sure!

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I had an email yesterday about a librarian job in NE. Unfortunately 421 miles from where I want to be. The amazing thing about it was that this particular school district pays an annual bonus of $11k (divided by 12 months.) So ... with a Masters and 11 years experience (in classroom) I'd make around $54k!! It's hard for me to even fathom making that much - the most I've ever made before was around $41k - my last year of teaching.

I didn't apply for it, because it would defeat the whole purpose for me moving. I'd be 600 miles closer, but still too far away to really be in good proximity for NEs and I's relationship to grow. If I could only find something like that within 60 miles of NE!

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My final car payment was mailed off today. Smile I know I said I'd pay it in April, but I'd already gotten the paycheck that the money would've come out of anyway. So, I decided, why wait? Big Grin So, as of March 25, 2014 I am officially debt free once again. Big Grin I can hardly wait to get my title.

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The yearbook was submitted yesterday. Here's hoping that that is the LAST yearbook I ever have the *pleasure* of putting together.

Today I helped out with the annual spelling bee for 4th - 8th grade. A 6th grader won first place, a 4th grader won second place and a fifth grader won third place. It was pretty interesting. Smile

Small update

March 18th, 2014 at 12:42 am

So today was the first day back after learning of the murder of our co-worker. It was ... hard and sad and different and yet in a way a normal Monday. Our principal dismissed the preschool kids after morning prayer, and then made an announcement about what happened (though she didn't say "murdered" just that he'd died - which was a prudent choice given that she was talking to K-8th kids.)

A couple of my journalism students were supposed to go over to the preschool today to take pictures for the yearbook.I talked to Sr. (preschool director) and asked if she'd rather just me come over, or to wait til Wednesday. She asked if I'd just come over, because preschool was canceled for the rest of the week. I did go over and got some really cute pictures of the kids, but the vibe I got from the teachers was just total shock and heartbrokenenss. They;d worked as a team for at least 9 or more years.

After school we had a staff meeting where we found out that the funeral will probably be on Thursday, and if it is, school will be canceled so anyone who wants to go can. We also found out that a suspect(s?) have been apprehended, and that it might be a federal case due to possibly having occurred on the rez (although his body was found off rez in big G - so not sure what that means.) The Nav Nation president (who has a daughter in our pre-school) came and spoke to us at length about the whole situation.

As we were all leaving, the PE teacher expressed that he just doesn't feel safe here anymore. I thought that was interesting because I kind of have that same feeling.

Just a sad, sad situation.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers. This is especially difficult for our NA staff - most of whom have been here for many, many years.

Sad news :(

March 15th, 2014 at 09:16 pm

When I got home from church today and had just pulled into the driveway, I got a call from my principal. She had news about our missing teacher. His body had been found in big G - he had been murdered. Frown The family has asked that we don't speculate on the details, so that is probably all we're going to know.

All I know is that we have lost a wonderful man, wonderful teacher, and little bit of our sense of safety. He'd been in big G on a Wednesday night - not exactly a night you'd think would be dangerous in big G. (Friday and Saturday nights, avoid like the plague - or nights right after the government checks come out...)

I'm wondering if my principal will let me dedicate the yearbook now. (would have to get permission from his family - but I think it would be so appropriate)

Small flakes / Job Hunting Frustrations

March 13th, 2014 at 01:57 am

I cashed out my GymPact for the second time this month - $10 (total of $20 for March.)

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3 items sold on eBay - total of $16.xx - net maybe 0.50 (after fees and shipping) At least I'm getting rid of the items.

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Will cash out on bing tomorrow for another 500 SBs code.

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I kind of feel like I'm hitting a brick wall when it comes to job hunting in a locale 1000+ miles away. I have found some opportunities which I've applied for, but most of what I've found are not ones that are going to be willing to wait til June.

I'm wondering if there is a point for me to go out there over Spring Break, since it'd still be 7 weeks out before I move there. Until I know what kind of job I have, I'm not sure if I should secure a place to live. I'd hate to put down a deposit and everything, and then find a job 30 minutes or more away!

What I'm thinking of doing is putting in my application at whatever local employment agencies there are in the city (with a June start date) and then once I'm out there I'll take whatever they find for me, and continue to job hunt. I have a paycheck through the end of June, as well as savings if I have to use them. That way I'll also have a chance to find a church home and then pick the brains of people there for job opportunities.

I'll need to put most of my stuff in storage until I find a place (and a job.) So that means renting a moving vehicle twice (at least the second time will be easier loading - no stairs to contend with!)

I have put in applications to two school districts (one in the city I actually want to go to, and one in a district 70 miles away - not ideal, but if it's where the jobs are...) I've also done tons of searches on various job sites - craigslist, indeed, hotjob, career builder, etc. I put in an application for a city clerk/typist job (actually pays more than what I get here!)

My brother suggested finding a recruiter or headhunter. I've done some searching trying to see if I come up with anything like that for the area. All I came up with were employment agencies that didn't have any offices in the state, let alone the city!

NE is on a long distance trip buying speakers right now (he was actually in NYC this a.m.! Thankfully nowhere near where the buildings collapsed.) When he gets back on Friday I really need to see if we can lay out some more firm ideas (see if I should go out there for Spring Break, or him come here, home hunting, etc.) May 25 is coming really, really quickly! (this is good, however it is also anxiety inducing not knowing what's going to happen)

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I stayed home sick today (really nauseous, etc.) One thing I did (besides sleep!) was watch the Klondike (Discovery Channel) mini-series. I'd watched 3 of the episodes before, and today finished it. I was glad I decided to purchase the season - really enjoyed it. Smile

I still have my Person of Interest Season 2 to watch, and in a few days I think I'll be able to watch the newest episode of OUAT on Hulu for free.

A few things

March 11th, 2014 at 12:51 am

I sold another item on ebay (well, it has a bid on it - won't actually sell til Wednesday.) I also have a number of watchers on my other items - now if they'll just bid (or bin!)

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I received $25 for the review I did on Friday of a cookbook. I let them know that I'd be happy to do more as they came available. Big Grin

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I signed up for a Virtual Assistant job type thing. You have to take three types of typing tests, and then every few weeks they let in anyone who meets a certain percentile (varies.) I ranked 73rd percentile. You can take the tests every day if you're not happy -- I'll be taking them again! Smile

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We've had some possibly really big/bad news at our school. One of our pre-school teachers (a man) has not been heard from since Wednesday night by his family or us. An APB has been put out for him, as well as many flyers and FB posts. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts/prayers. He's a really neat person and not one that I'd think would do a dissapearing act willingly.

Updates

March 9th, 2014 at 03:43 am

I guess my Feb 28th entry was a victim of the sites problems ... will try to recap some of what I said.

I've now cashed out for $50 so far this year with the GymPact app. Not too shabby for just recording what I would do anyway. (exercise, food logging, and eating fruits/veggies)
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I've cashed out for 6 rewards from Bing since starting it in mid-January - 5 of them were 500 SB codes which have definitely come in handy!
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I found a small money making opportunity on Craigslist a few days ago. Essentially it is writing reviews of non-fiction ebooks (I am to give my honest opinion.) I did my first book on Friday. If I remember correctly, I'll get paid $25. (I already received the money for the ebook itself.) It only took me about an hour to read/skim the ebook and write 3 reviews (it was a cookbook.) I'm hoping that I can do a lot of these!
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I've made 4 eBay sales this past week. Only one of them is making me any profit. I'd bought a supply of an item from a wholesaler for an okay price, but then once postage is added and eBay/PP fees ... I'm losing money on most of them. Live and learn. My main goal is to get all those items sold before I move - then make my next purchases from the wholesaler much more wisely! (If anyone is interested in seeing what I'm selling - my ebay name is the same as my email address - if you know that. Big Grin )
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Only 10 weeks left of the school year! Most of my classes I'll see another 6 - 7 times. Crazy!

Two weeks til the yearbook deadline. Gulp. There is so much still left to do. I will say though, that this year's group of kids is getting more done. Hopefully there won't be much left for me to finish on my own. I've told them that whatever is left to do will be MY decisions as to how its done. Heh heh heh.
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Last Sunday I went to see Pompeii at the theater. I really enjoyed it. My dad had a wonderful children's story that he'd tell every place he was a pastor - at least once - about Pompeii. It made me have a great fascination with the story.
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The six-month dietbet ... well, I think I'll probably only end up winning the $18 from Round 1. I got down to 8% and then regained 4lbs, lost two and seem to be doing a great job of maintaining. To win Round 5 I'd need to lose ten pounds by April 5. Um ... yeah. *Maybe* by May 5 I can do it, but I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself.
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I'm almost to the 50k point mark with Achievemint (about 3k away.) Once I hit it, that'll mean a $50 Visa card. Again, points earned just for doing what I would do anyway (connecting various apps to the website - fitbit, GymPact, MyFitnessPal, etc.)
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I made my next to last car payment a few days ago. Just a bit over $400 in April, and I'll have my title! Woot woot!
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Friday, Feb 28 I went to a wonderful Judy Freeman seminar all about children's books in ABQ. I got to stay at a nice hotel, eat out dinner and lunch (free wonderful breakfast at hotel) and have a day off work -- all reimbursed! (Well, I just turned in the paperwork on Thursday. So it will be reimbursed in the next few weeks -- about $465!)

For lunch I ate at a place called Little Anita's which was right next to the hotel. I had the vegetarian enchilada. So yummy! Only $8.25 (included side of beans and a sopapilla - all vege friendly!)The dish I think will be pretty easy to replicated (other than the sopapilla!) All I need are 3 corn tortillas, steamed veggies (they used mushrooms, zucchini, onions and tomatoes), and some cheese to melt on top. Such a simple idea, but one I'd never considered.

Oh, I also earned 8x Swagbucks for my hotel stay. I booked it on the Crazy 8's day. That shop and earn came through on a high goal day - sweet!!

Speaking of SBs though - I am NOT happy about the SBmobile and Enow apps having a variable earning limit. Those two apps are how I make my daily goal most days! I guess I'll just have to give it time and see how much it affects me.
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I had a nice time in NE the weekend of the 21st. For my next visit though, I need to remember to reserve my spot on the car lot ahead of time on their website to save money on parking! I don't know why I never thought about looking for coupons/deals on parking!

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I have not sold any of my stock that I was thinking about. Every time I start thinking about selling it, it seems to go up in value (sometimes skyrocketing!) So I think anyway I've decided to hold on to it for now.

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I've applied to a few jobs in NE, but just haven't found much to apply for yet. Hopefully if I haven't found a job before I get there, I'll find one quickly once I'm actually in the area. (There's several office jobs that look very intriguing, but they're not going to want to wait til June 1!)