Summer over - school to begin

I never thought I would make it through the three weeks at the gifted summer camp I do.  But I managed.  It wasn't as fun as it was last year....perhaps because I was back in management and not working with the kids on a daily basis.  Whatever the reason, I'm glad to be finished.  However, the camp seems to follow me into my regular life.  I picked up the mail yesterday and their was a note from the Los Angeles Parking Violations Bureau.  According to them, my car was parked illegally in a red zone on August 8.  Now here is the kicker, I wasn't even driving my car - Chris was (for the summer program - he worked there too).  However, he was letting someone out of the car and was circling around to pick them back up.  According to the ticket, we left before they could put the ticket on the car so they used the camera to know where to send it.  I'm pissed off about the whole thing.  As far as I'm concerned the job we worked for can pay the ticket since instead of renting a car to do business runs they had Chris use ours.  But now I have to spend the little bit of time between meetings to call and get all of this settled.  However, this is the real kicker - the ticket was issued on the 8/8/08 and you have 21 days from the date the ticket is issued.  But they didn't draft the letter to me until 8/19/08 or drop it into the mail until 8/21/08.  Eating up 14 days plus 2 days travel time so 16 of my 21 days are gone.  Freaking ridiculous!  I don't know who I'm calling to bitch out but someone is in for it.  

I went back to work this past week to begin setting up my classroom.  Once again, I changed rooms so it was a big production.  I'm very happy with the outcome.  Pics are available on my website at http://www.msjensenclass.com/ClassPictures/class_pictures.htm 

I have about 5 extra feet in this room which truly makes all the difference in the world.  I'm also looping with my class from last year, which means I'll be teaching the same group of students.  I'm really excited about it.  They were a fun group and I loved their parents.  Plus to be honest, I don't think the incoming group of 4th graders that I was supposed to get could have handled me.  I think my expectations would have been too much for them (or perhaps really their parents).   

Well this is about it.  Tomorrow I get to look forward to a weeks worth of meetings before we begin school next week.  Go ahead - ask me what these meetings are about.  Well we spend a good portion of them reading through the parent/student handbook page by page word for word.  Yes, exciting and productive!  So you can understand why I need to get a good nights sleep.  I figure that meeting will put me in the perfect mood to call about that ticket!  

Okay - Hollywood can be Scarywood

Ahhhhhh....here it is.  10:25 pm on Monday night.  I'm up - wide awake with no vision of sleep in sight.  Yes, that's right.  My summer hours have officially started.  They began Saturday night after I attended a co-workers wedding.  Her wedding was gorgeous.  The two of them are both big sports fans and had met at UCLA.  Their wedding colors and theme was all UCLA.  Nothing tacky....just very beautiful!  

Well I was up until 3:00am that night.  The next day I slept all

 day just about nursing a hangover.  Hangovers sure aren't what they used to be when I was in my early 20's.  Now they are mean and unforgiving.  I of course tried to get up around 10:00am and go eat some greasy food.  Everyone knows that is the cure, right?  Well after eating at the greasy dinner all I felt was sick and it was back to bed for me.  Finally rolled out of bed around 5:00pm.  We decided it was time for dinner about 11:30pm so we walked across the street to Ralphs Grocery.  I had Mac, so I sat outside with him while Chris was supposed to quickly run inside and get food.  What felt like an eternity later, Chris finally came out to see me engaged (or stuck) in a conversation with a man.  Yes.....this man is what makes Hollywood into Scarywood.  

I will give you pieces of our conversation and what he did:

• He does Yoga
• He saw a dog come out of the ocean with glowing green stuff on him (I thought to myself....is he talking about seaweed?)
• He was bit by two dogs and was scared to go home because he "knew the white little dogs would be waiting to eat him"
• He is a reincarnated prince.....who met his reincarnated lover the day before
• He told me about a man who lived a long time ago and killed "do gooders" and was involved in a love triangle.  
• He's happy he doesn't have an ATM card....last time he had one he was robbed.  (Oh he asked if I had ever been robbed....."No thank you")
• He thinks he knew me or my mother in another life.  We were special soul mates.  
• He wanted to know what he could call me....I ask him do you mean what is my name?? (because I'll be damned if I'm going to tell you!)  And he says no.  My reincarnated name.  I shrugged.  He says he'll tell me it and says something that I can even begin to pronounce yet alone type.
• He's working hard at not trying to come off weird (too late I think but I keep my lips sealed).
• He has special connections with animals (well duh....you were bit by two the day before!)

Finally Chris emerges from the store.  I jumped up (I think I pulled a muscle) and excuse myself saying "Well take care".  Yes....scary - very very scary!

All I kept thinking is "Is tonight a full moon?"  Not quite but almost.   I stayed up till 3:00am again.  

I don't plan on leaving the house tonight.  And next week, I go back to UCLA where they lock me up for three weeks.  Good.  I think I need a break from the real world.  It's expensive and has a very bleak outlook lately.  And I for one am tired of it.  I mean really, my bank's (WAMU) stock cost less than a gallon of gas.  So glad I don't have $100,000+ invested in one of these banks that are going under.  See we just found a positive.  I don't have a lot of money therefore I'm okay.  Now I can go to bed with that pleasant thought.  Oh be sure to check out Rodeo Monkey's picture below.  He's awesome too!  Another happy thought!   

Rodeo Monkey

Deal or No Deal

Well summer is officially here and I am having a hard time believing that a full year has almost gone by since last time I posted here.  Where did the time go?  Does that mean I'm another year older?!?

Arghhhhhh!!!!!  That does mean that in just 5 months I will be 30!  What!  30?  When the heck did that happen?  Well before I turn 30 I have just one little thing to do.  Win a million bucks!  Now I know what you're thinking....."Katie, seriously?  A million bucks is not a little thing!"  

Yes, I know.  But it's in my future.  I can feel it in my bones.  Today there was an ad for teachers to audition for the hit game show Deal or No Deal.  (It's summer folks and I can't go into school, of course I'm looking online to find ways I can be a huge star.  After all, I live in Hollywood!)

So, anyway guy calls me up after getting my incredible e-mail saying I want to do this and of course attached a recent picture (it was required) of me looking fabulous.  It only took 38 pics to get the fabulous shot and I look naturally good.  Okay....I didn't really take 38 pics but those of you who know me could imagine right?  I actually chose a picture from last summer.  I like it. I look happy.....and cute.  (And if you don't agree keep that to yourself thank you very much!)

Anyway, so this guy calls me and is like tell me all about you.  And I froze.  Tell you what?  I don't know what to tell you.  What do you find interesting....what do you want to know.  Well despite the fact that I couldn't find anything interesting to say, he still asked me to come for an audition on Wednesday at the studios.  I better think of things.  So I'm starting a list.  Ten things of interest about me.

1. I am addicted to a program called Vista Print.  They offer free business cards, postcards, stamps, t-shirts....you name it they offer it.  And all for the price of shipping and handling.  I have placed 4 orders this summer already.  I have stayed away for 18 days.  I'm doing good.  But check out all my cool stuff!!! http://www.msjensenclass.com/Teacher_Resources/vistaprint_ideas.htm
2. I truly believe God made me with a separate compartment for dessert only.  I can eat and eat and be full with dinner or whatever but I always (and I do mean ALWAYS) have room for dessert.
3. I also believe that with that separate compartment that God gave me for dessert, he actually left out my powerhouse.  You know that muscle that allows you to do sit-ups and yoga and stuff?  At first I was sad......but now I know it's for the best.
4. Alcohol, Katie and Olympic games don't go well together.  (Trust me....this past weekend I did these things such as the wheelbarrow, balloon toss, crab walk and other games.  The more we drank, the better we all thought we were doing.   It was for a charity for the Homeless.  Yep....I donated money to play Olympic games and drink.  And my body has been paying for it for the past two days - hence I KNOW my 30th b-day is coming simply by the way I've been nursing a hangover for two days)
5. I can take amazing self-portraits.  Just ask my mom. 
6. I am a gameaholic.  I once played a game called Pirates for 15 hours straight.  Yes, I do realize now that is strange, sick and frightening.  
7. I once sat in the laundry room in a folding chair waiting for my laundry to be done because I thought people would steal it (read my post from one year ago).  I now have a new thought on this.....let them steal it.  
8. I (the person who am now a teacher) once concocted a plan with a good friend of mine and made "special cookies" for a teacher.  We added unnecessary ingrediants like Mrs. Dash and Garlic Salt to them.  Luckily she didn't eat them.  We told her about our little joke...she laughed.  Yes, that lady laughed alright.....all the way to her desk to write a note to our parents and to the mailbox to send them out.  It's probably in my school file somewhere.  I now know the error of my ways....and I don't trust cookies from my students.  
9. I think that having homeless people right outside my building is normal.  And am scared if they aren't there.
10. Wonder if any of these things will get me on Deal or No Deal. Where do people get interesting stuff about themselves?

Well, it's time for me to go.  I promise not to make it another year before I post again.  Please feel free to comment with interesting things about me.  I have until Wednesday next week to come up with it.  :-)