Non-gluttony

Last year I went to an event that made me feel awful.  It made me realize that no matter who guilts me into it, I must not attend functions if they are against my principles.  So, I skipped it this year.  And I felt so much better for it.   Because this year, on the way down to DC for Foto Week, I was not still in shock from the sight of people gorging themselves on food and throwing away half of it.  Instead, I basked in the glow of someone who did the right thing.

Foto Week was the best one I have attended - and I have gone to all five.  The exhibits have started to cover more of a variety of topics, not just documentary, photojournalist stuff.  There was eve a smattering of silver gelatin prints!  Hot damn!  I also love the inclusion of the Indie Photozine Library.  I could have sat in that room all day, but, all the other photos beckoned.  There is something about DC that I love so much.  I really wish I could live there.  It is so hard to move.  Hubby and I were never out of work at the same time and that would have made it ideal for changing locales.

With the holidays coming, I am trying to get all the work out of the way to just allow myself time to enjoy and relax.  I decorated the house today - always fun for me.  I have things I want to make to decorate more and i am trying to make sure i keep everything in an up mood.  So many people get so grouchy because of what they think they "have" to do.  Forget that.  I may not be there at the big box stores on Black Friday, I may not be buying the right gifts, but at least I am thinking of things to give that mean something and dammit, I am having fun!  I have a ton of burned out outdoor bulbs that I want to make into outdoor decorations to hang on the bushes.  I want to make wrapping paper decorations form old cards again.  I also want to make some traditional Hungarian pastries this year.  I went to the trouble to get the name of a shop from a co-worker and dad and mom never even went.  Screw that.  I will go, get the ingredients and do it myself.  I also want to go to the American Hungarian museum in New Brunswick when the Festival of Trees opens in two weeks.  Let's see if dad goes for that.  He's so blase about all this heritage stuff.  But I keep trying...

The election is today.  I cannot say any more than that because teachers in NJ are not permitted to discuss their political beliefs with current students.

If you are 18, you should have registered and you should vote.

Luddite

People make fun of me for living like a Luddite - no cable, save electricity, garden, compost, use rain barrels...  However, I think I was the only one not having a heart attack about the loss of electronics during this hurricane.  We lost power twice and the only thing that bothered me was that without heat, we couldn't be the warm house to go to.

This was an incredibly bad storm.  We slept in the living room and closed all the bedroom doors for fear that the windows would blow out.  But nearly a week later, we are a part of the small group with power.  We lost a whole week of school.  Things are really bad.

I am bringing hot chocolate powder and tea bags to offer hot drinks to kids who still have no power.  There is gasoline rationing.  And my local leadership dropped the ball on this one.  Completely.

Such a range of emotions this past week regarding feeling bad for some people and very angry with others.

At least we have Millie to keep things up!

Box

So I sit here with a box of files next to me.  Those files are from the historic organization I am doing voluntary scanning for.  I will be scanning all their documents into searchable PDF files to help them build their resources into something that can be posted on their website.  I am doing this for free.  I say this because I realized that the number of us who volunteer is minimal while the number of those who depend on what we do is immense.  Not that those dependents don't have the time to volunteer a little bit.  They do.  They would just rather spend it watching inane crap on TV, shopping for cheaply made garbage they don't need or doing who-knows-what.  I wish schools could require volunteerism as a part of graduation requirements.  I think the world would be a better place if people knew how to give of themselves instead of just taking.  Don't get me wrong... I love volunteering.  I am just getting a little tired of seeing the same faces putting in the time and getting the message from non-volunteers that we still don't do enough.  I try to talk to the students about the volunteering I do, but I think they see it as another one of my quaint little quirks.  Too bad....

The schedule this week involves:  information meeting for the trip to Italy, a PCEA legislative action meeting 9 hopefully we will get pizza to eat for dinner!), a doctor's appointment, minor surgery for Mr. Vasa, and the yearly meeting for  a group I hope to be volunteering for.  AND the woman running that group wants me to drop by some night before that meeting to see what they are all about.  Phew!  And I still have to get to the Elk's Club to do the weeding.

I was going to do that this morning, but the urns are being changed over to mums by the group I used to volunteer for.  I don't volunteer for them anymore because I realized that our town politicians do not give credit to the ones who work hard and take there credit for Main Street's revitalization all for themselves. I really like the President of the organization and do not want her to see me working for someone else when I know she needed the help this weekend.  I could have helped her change over the urns, but I have some self respect and need to drive a message home to the dopes in my town hall.  I may go over to do the weeding after dinner.

I swear, my fingernails will never be clean with all the gardening I do....

I cannot write too much because I have to get dinner ready and walk downstairs slowly due to Millie sleeping on my lap and my leg being asleep.... but...

I took a real good look at who is in Photo III and it looks like a killer group of photographers.  Very ready for smaller periods 5 & 7.

New things...

So I cannot participate in my Historic Preservation Commission anymore because the mayor does not like little ladies who ask questions they should not ask, like why the codes are selectively enforced, why people are not doing what they are paid to do, and so on.  Apparently, in my town, you can only ask the hard questions and demand more of your elected officials if you are a man...

So...

I have found another way to channel my desire to volunteer, preserve spaces, and fuel my love of history and historic places.  I recently joined the Association for Gravestone Studies and hope to get into a Drew University workshop on grave site preservation.  I also found that if I join a Morris County preservation group, they need people to volunteer services and scanning items and documents is one of the needs!  Perfect!  I think one problem I have is that when someone tries to knock me down, I am so stubborn, I refuse to be deterred.

The vicious oozing blisters and rashes I ended up with after doing some clean up in a park have nearly gone away, but the scars will most likely remain.  A reminder of my foolish refusal to wear pants and long sleeves or a way to remember the fun I had while cleaning up a forgotten stretch of parkland?  I opt for the latter...

I am proud of the fact that I was able to take care of the situation without going to the doctor or getting an expensive prescription.  I used a cream I had bought in England and some natural remedies around the house.  Hopefully, by the next time this happens, the herb I am growing for this will have grown enough to use it as a poultice.  It just takes so darned long to get a doctor's appointment and I just don't like the idea of putting many chemicals in me... yet another reason I never did drugs... sigh....

Off to the garden...

Please calm down...

So I was photographed at home today for something I cannot reveal until it happens.  First I worked on some photos on the new CS6 - one was a scanned negative, the other was a still life shot in RAW.  Ok, so far so good.

Then....

Down to the basement to print in the darkroom.  Pour the chemicals in the trays... good.... negative set up... good... then go to plug in the enlarger and safelight.  Where is the damn triple plug?  Yup... key piece of equipment, gone. So I have to expose, unplug, plug in safelight, process print, plug in enlarger, repeat.  Then, I can't take my time like I normally do, do the test strips, etc..  I feel bad taking up his time, so I rush.  The print looks like poopoo. And so do I.

I am so nervous I am still shaking.  Ugh.....  Can I just set up my camera on my tripod and self time a shot of me?  Please?????

Mother said to read something relaxing.  Everything I have is political or related to teaching or unions.   That doesn't help!  And my issue of Harper's Bazaar has not arrived yet.  I may need to take a walk to Bobby's to get a fluffy magazine.  That September Vogue is a brick.  I hate Anna Wintour's staleness but I am desperate.

Ugh ugh ugh.....

Weeping...

SO I did some Guerrilla Gardening again.  I have a spot I want to fix up.  I did not see anything poisonous.  BUT... the lower part of my arms and all of my legs are covered in oozing, weeping, itching burning sores.  I haven't a clue how this happened.  Hubby helped me - I cut, he carried.  He is super allergic to poison ivy and the like.  He has not a spot on him.  I also have to fight the urge to pop all the blisters.  They itch and hurt when I bang them on something and popping them would relieve that.  But I know that opens me up to the possibility of infection, pun intended.

So I had two meetings this week.  I volunteered to be on the staff committee that selects the new teacher evaluation system.  I managed to make it through on Tuesday.  I was in pain, but played it off real well.  But it got worse as the day went on.  I just can't make it today.  I have a few blisters that are currently leaking and though I know that the ooze itself is not contagious, I know that if it was a student, she/he would be sent home.  So I will stay.  I did send one of the other attendees a couple questions I had.  Let's see if they can be answered.

I feel I can't even go out in my own garden with this.  The weird thing is, one of the scratches that had blistered was done in my backyard with a bush I know I am not allergic to.  So I figure I am hyper-sensitive right now.   So I grab reading material and just stand in the pool to cool down the wounds.

I had to get a new computer.  I will be giving my old one to my dad.  So I am trying to install CS6 right now but I fear nothing is happening.  I can't wait until I can use it at home.  I took a bunch of RAW images too.  Hooray!!

Jeez, this itches soooo much.  But it was worth it.  You should see the job I did.  Nowhere near done, but it looks nice.

Class lists

So I took a peek at the class lists for the next school year.  Photo II & III periods will be smaller but waaaay more PIII students.  And I have re-vamped how and what I plan to teach.  Super excited.

Also working on photos on CS6 and liking it so much.  Much more than I expected.  My computer is dying a slow death and it moves like molasses when I open Photoshop Elements!  Now that is pathetic.  I have tried all I can to improve it, but hubby is getting me a new tower for my birthday.  At least I can recycle this one by giving it to my dad - his is problematic too - or by recycling with Dell.  Yes, I do not buy Macs.  So expensive and why bother when I don't have a Mac in the classroom?  I have the work iPad and my sister's old iMac anyhoo.

Oh, and can I sing the praises of my new Epson V600?  Holy crap, what a scanning dream!  Scans my negatives so quickly!  I want to get one for the classroom if we can budget for it next year.  Love it.

Stuck doors...

So I do not know what the hell is wrong with our brains.  But this time, when dad and I measured and cut, things did not go so well.  However, I refused to spend all Monday refining.  So, today, in this heatwave, I am sanding the doors in situ.  I am using my handy-dandy Dremel to lightly, gradually sand down the parts of the doors that are keeping them from closing easily.  And it has gone surprisingly well!  I know there will be more to do, but I will wait until the humidity lessens to sand more off.  The sawdust is sticking to me like glue.

I cannot tall you how much I LOVE the sound and feel of the solid doors opening and closing.  I hated the cheap-o doors with such a passion.  The last two are leaning on the garbage cans.  The temptation to kick them in is so great.  But then we lose our temporary garbage blocker.  Yes, for the first time in 8 years, our garbage was knocked over and rifled through last week.  My guess is a raccoon.  The bears and deer stick to the fruit.  They also leave evidence - scat, aka poop.

I also purchased a new scanner.  I have so much art to work on and needed the scanner.  My hp was not working at all and I refused to purchase yet another overpriced USB cable.  So I bought the Epson V600.  No warm-up time... scans negatives... and came with Photoshop Elements.  I had to dump CS - too old.  But I cannot upload CS6 b/c my computer is only 32 bit.  So I thought the Elements would be a fair trade-off.  We shall see... then I can upload images onto the Google Documents account and work on them on remote access CS6.  Oh the joy.  But, here's the great thing... I scanned three sheets of negatives - one 35mm and two 120mm.  It moved so fast and the scans were so good.  I cannot wait to work on those images.

The other project I have going involves my felted objects.  I made a bunch of little pieces with bone and resin-embedded insects.  Had no idea how to present them.  I had a brainstorm over the weekend and look to work on that today and tomorrow.  Super excited that the doors are near complete so that I can return to making art.  Once the school year starts, there is not a minute available for that...

Doors

So i hated the doors that were in the house when we bought it over eight years ago.  Today, with dad's help, they are now all replaced.  As we found solid pine, six panel doors, Dave and I would buy them.  I stain and seal coat them after my dad and I cut them to size. Now, they are all installed.  We just didn't replace the closet doors in two bedrooms.  But they sure look good.  I think I may just walk around opening and closing them, just for kicks.  Sigh...

So for the to-do list this summer I can cross off replacement of interior doors, replacement of pool ladder (know anyone who wants to buy our old one?), teaching myself CS6 new tricks, tending the garden.

Things I still have to do:  finish genealogical research, make art, get real good at CS6 before September, start my guerrilla gardening project, enter my art into shows again.

And of course reading is on the list.  It always is.  I read three books last week.  They were related to the genealogical work I am doing on my father's family.  I am currently in the first section of "The Medieval Reader" and the fascinating thing about it is that I like visualizing the activities in the places I have been.  It makes the book seem so much more alive.

And other things to do... look into Historic Preservation programs and costs.  Never a dull moment.

So I still have not been approved for participation in the Guerrilla Gardening site but that will not keep me from forging ahead with my plans....

Nothing stops a girl with a bike, a basket, a bottle of herbed water, garden tools and a mission.

Legs....

So my legs are truly beat up.  My doctor confirmed that.  I commented on how I get bitten by bugs a lot and he asked if that was all the stuff on my legs and then noticed the bruised and cuts.  Yes, my legs look like crap.  But if they didn't that would mean I am being lazy.  At least all the bruises from going up and down the ladder when I cleaned the gutters are now gone.  I had yellow and peach striped legs!

Hubby calls what I do "High Impact Gardening."  I like that.  However, since the rain came today, the gardening has been shelved for the day.  So, I began the work on the remainder of the interior doors.  I stain, sand, stain and seal them.  Then hang them - three full doors and on bi-fold set and the house will be done!  The sad part is that I will have to buy more stain and sealer and that reminds me of the fact that my favourite hardware store closed.  I can still walk to the other one in town, but I truly loved the one on Main Street.  Sure, they played bluegrass music in there all the time - not a fan - but it was better than a candy store in there.

I also have to make a pie out of all the mulberries I froze.  And the raspberries are coming like crazy!  I love the fact that I do not have to buy fruit at this time of year.  Just run into the yard and pick them...  I just have to watch out for all the deer and bear scat.

I also have a plan to do some secret work... guerrilla gardening... more on that later...

Reads

We went to NYC yesterday.  We ended up spending most of the time in the L.E.S. going to a couple of our favourite places to go.  We usually get off the Path at Christopher Street and cut through SoHo. That will be the last time.  I guess I keep forgetting that SoHo is not what it was in the 90's.  If I want to go to a crowded shopping mall, I will go to a crowded shopping mall.  Ugh... the lost shoppers, people stuck in their iPhone worlds, stopping on the sidewalk looking for that perfect mass-produced, over-priced item.  Alas, we survived and made it to Bluestockings.  Soooo many good zines, the new issue of Worn, and they now carry the small books on doing it yourself at home.  I bought the one on healthy herbal remedies for your cat when I went to Wellsweep Farm a few years ago.  Yesterday I purchased one on making incense.  They have so many fabulous titles.  I looked at the one on breaking your cat's bad habits.  This proud mama can say that Millie has none of them.  I proudly spent over $30 on a bunch of independently published reading material at an independent bookstore.  Who need Barnes & Noble?

We found a little shop with imported food from various Asian and European countries.  They had Fentiman's Dandelion & Burdock soda (had that at a cafe outside St. Paul's in London) but is wasn't refrigerated.  BUT, they did have another brand in a can and cold!  Hot damn!  Nothing better than walking the streets of the L.E.S. with a bag of zines, warm, sunshiny weather and a sipping a can of dandelion & burdock soda.

A fine Saturday all around...  and the last week of school until summer vacation.  Hooooraayyy!

Babies

So I had to re-plant almost all the seeds but I have some growth now:  carrots, radishes, cilantro, squashes, spinach, cucumbers, calendula and borage.  Semi-success.  And the mulberry tree dropped a ton of berries and the raspberry harvest has begun.  Photos to come....

The rain is killing my vegetable garden.  It is so sopping wet that the seeds are going nowhere.

At least the moistness in the air gave me reason to try out the mosquito head net.  It works like a charm.  The buggers kept trying to get to my face and scalp to eat me alive.  They could not!  Ha ha...  and the neighbours were not heard laughing at me either.

Sweating...

Today's completed items from the to-do list:

• put up netting around vegetable garden
• plant seedlings
• plant three parts of the uprooted bush
• pull petals off older roses (I like to scatter them on the lawn so it looks like confetti)

Of course, I already had to do one outfit change on account of the profuse sweating.  But I just cannot justify another change.  So I sit here stinking like all heck.  At least I should be gross and unappetizing to the mosquitoes.  I have been eating mother's roasted red peppers for two days and they are loaded with chopped garlic.   Damn you, mosquitoes!

Speaking of... my shipment of garden supplies is on its way.  I cannot wait to wear my mosquito head net and garden until it is dark with no bugs annoying the hell out of me.  Now I just need to remember to check to make sure I am not carrying any bats into the house on my back...

This fabulous weather is making me so excited for summer... gardening, swimming, art and listening to music on my walkman.  Once I get new headphones, that is...  Perhaps I will even try to see if WMSC is still in need of summer DJs.  

Oh well, downstairs for dessert and then back outside to do more weeding.  Ah, the hedonism!

Muscle Rub

I have a mulberry tree that I grew by mistake.  The thing is that it is being crowded out by a well established bush I planted way back for privacy.  Well, now that the neighbour put up a fence, there is no need for the bush.  So I had the grand idea of not ripping the bush out and killing it, but digging it out and transplanting it.  Let's just say that was not a good idea when I am home alone.

But, I got the job done.  A couple of hours later and the sucker is out.  I split off two part from the the two foot diameter root ball.  Those parts will be planted at the back of the property to fill holes.  The rest... well, I dragged that sucker across the yard and plopped it at a spot I will try to sink that baby.  Oh, if you could only see how how filthy I was.  I would have taken a picture of the grime covered legs but there was no way I was touching my camera.  

And the pain... I cannot convey the pain I am in.  Everything aches down to my fingertips.  It hurts to sit, type, walk... you name it.  

But, damn... it was worth it.  If I could be paid to garden like this, I would be in heaven...

Hyperventilating

So I think I may have selected too many photos to put in the Art Show.  I have to cut the mattes for every single one.  I did have one reliable student cut mattes for two or three days, but I still had to cut it down from the large matte board and measure the windows.  I have students taping them into the windows and working on the labels, but I am getting the feeling that I am behind the eight ball here.  Is is ok to say that the Photo classes produced too much good stuff?  And I have all this to put on display and I left out the typical tree shots that the other two teachers vetoed last year.  Should I try less?  Nah... so I run out of space?  Better to have hard working classes who produce too much quality product than unmotivated, lazy kids.

What torture teaching Photo.... tee hee....

Playing catch up...

Yes, it has been awhile.  It has been a very interesting school year, that is for sure.  I have been keeping on top of all the work which is good.  But I stretched myself so thin that one of my favourite things - doing this blog - fell by the wayside.  Since I know all are dying to know what takes up my time, here is the list:

1. Negotiations team
2. Legislative Action Team
3. Helping sister with Lucy
4. Gardening at home
5. Member of my town's Main Street Design Committee
6. Secretary of my town's Historic Preservation Commission
7. Prepping work for student art shows and going to the shows
8. Doing my own art and submitting it to shows
9. Staying after and coming in to work early

So, yeah, I am swamped.  However, item one is done, two is moving along nicely and five and six... well, that's a long story.  That's for a time when I need to get the anger out...

But right now, I am basking in the glow of a great gardening weekend.  I mulched a ton of leaves to put in the veggie garden and the flowers are looking so good.  The tree that I thought was a peach tree flowered last month and there a a slew of peaches growing!  I have a couple of issues with the raspberries and roses - they need some re-configuring.  But I know the day I do it I will get scratched like all hell and then the kids think Millie did it to me.  Ha!  I think that will wait until the long weekend so the cuts can heal.  I have been giving away herbs to people at work and a friend can use some too.  I hate to pull stuff that spreads, so giving it away suits me fine.  Also, with the time I know have, I was able to weed at my parents' house.  Mother can't garden b/c the place is infested with poison ivy so I do the work.  I did most of the iris patch today but the flying bugs were attacking so I quit.  I can't wait to get home tomorrow to mulch some more leaves... At this point in the year, it is a race to get home to get into the garden...

Oh, and hubby and I went to Prague and Budapest over Easter and loved it!  Report an images to come....

Oh dear, so much going on it makes the head spin.  many students have Spring Break this week and a couple visited which was really nice.  I always like to know how they are doing.  But the weather has been unseasonably warm and I have had to go home right after school to do some yard work.  So no late stays for me this week.  I am trying a new thing this year.  I bought organic potting soil and biodegradable seed trays.  I will be starting many seed indoors.  I have two basement windows.  I will set the trays in the windows for the warmth and then set out the ones that need to be cold stratified, when the time comes.  Hopefully this will counteract any seasonal problems that have been causing the veggies to suffer in the past two years.  Finger crossed...  As far as the perennial herbs, the lemon balm, chives, and oregano are already growing so I am super glad about that.

I have been entering more work in shows lately.   It takes a lot of time and money and I have been involved in association and town volunteer activities, so the art took a back seat for a few month, sadly. 

The language "lessons" have also taken precedence.  I am going to be the one to help hubby get by in Prague and Budapest.  I think my pronunciation is fine, but remembering the words... that's hard work.  But I study a bit nearly every day and I have audio on the computer and tapes and cds.  Today I go to order the money for the trip.  Cannot wait to see how pretty the currency is.  European currency puts ours to shame...  When will the US utilize some artists to remake our bills?  Seriously...

So the day starts with me going to the bank to make a deposit (hooray) and sitting in the car whilst hubby does the food shopping.  Good so far.  Then I go to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription I called my Dr. to refill on Thursday and, lo and behold, no meds.  This is the third darned time this has happened this year and with different receptionists.  So, I am on the hunt for a new doctor.  One that will not want to see me every three months.  One that I can get an appointment right away and only see when sick.  One that does not constantly tell me to put on weight, while he is obese.  One that does not make me wait 1-2 hours listening to crappy lite rock.  So Monday's lunch will consist of me making phone calls to switch doctors.

 And this was a terrible mail day.  Only one piece of mail and it was teacher stuff and that news tends to be quite the downer these days what with all the bashing we get...

So I feel some retail therapy is in order.  I may, just possibly suggest a trip to - get ready - Short Hills Mall.  Gasp!  I know, malls make me feel hollow and empty inside, but, I did find that fab velvet blazer at a Nordstrom for $35 one year.  And maybe I can find some neat-o stuff marked waaay down.  And perhaps some make-up so I don't look so dead in pictures all the time.

But then again, the zombie/undead look is in, so maybe I am looking cool...

So I have been suffering with muscle spasms for a whole school week.  I must not have picked Lucy up correctly for one of our dances around the room on Saturday night.  Oh, the pain...

But some good things.  A Photo II student received first place for her Argyrotype in the Caldwell College Teen Art Jam, kids are getting into their schools and someone just keeps getting more and more scholarship money.  Hooray!!!

Also, I ordered two free sample books for Photo from a school book publisher (Pearson) which saves oodles of money and entered a contest with Focal Press to win $250 of books and an Amazon Kindle (that's for Dems, not me!).

I can't type too much b/c of the pain.  I wish Millie could massage out this spasm...

Yes, take a gander at that reading list.... yet another reason I have absolutely no need for cable television.

Virus...

Some people I know have had nagging coughs for at least a month.  I am now feeling drippy & sluggish, have a sore-ish throat, achy body, no fever and the beginnings of a cough, accompanied by some phlegm this morning.  So a four day weekend is welcome.  Some snow would be welcome too, but that's another story.   All feedback is that this is a drug resistant virus that just needs to work its way out.  So I will treat the symptoms with whatever here herbs I have.  On that note, two veggie and herb seed catalogs have come in the mail recently.  I am so excited to garden this summer and considering they abysmal weather, I am considering moving to more herbs and squeezing the veggies closer together, since the weather has lowered my yield the past two years. 

I love perusing the catalogs, marking what I want, then planning the plantings.  I also like that what I grow saves me a ton of money on vegetables, fruit and medicine.  In spending about $5-7 on herbs that treat my asthma, I no longer need to spend a lot more on inhalers!  Hell yeah!!!

 Millie bonus:  she keeps me company when I feel sick...

Sigh....

Oh my...

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/a-new-trove-from-an-old-master/

Just take a gander.  Look at the images, then look at the dates.  More colour Steichen images found.  Jeez.... and seeing 100 year old colour images in person at the Met last year was just so amazing.  Photography naysayers, try to deny the fact that these are amazing...

So I had to call out yesterday.  Sick as all heck.  On Monday night, while I was on the computer, I started to get chills and achy - the only other time I felt like that was when I got the flu when teaching in Rockaway Borough.  I sucked it up and got up the next morning and prepared for work.  After eating breakfast, I realized I couldn't do it.  So I left everyone in the lurch for the day.

But....

Millie knows when mommy is not feeling well.  She slept with me on the sofa all day!!!  She's so great.  Not feeling much better today, but I want to go to the Scholastic Art Reception tonight, so here I am.

I have been doing more research into new projects for Photo III.  I changed some things this year, but I want to get a pattern going with how the year starts besides just the Artist Statement.  I found a few things that may help.

I scheduled the Vasa trip to Prague and Budapest for our spring vacation.  So I am trying to teach myself some very basic words and expressions.  And Czech and Hungarian are nothing alike.  It's quite fun!  I found a couple of nice websites with audio, so I practice at home.  Hubby thinks it is hopeless for him, so he just will defer to me when we are there.

I did find out that there will be a super photo exhibit opening in Budapest at the and of March.  I am very excited for that.  And, there are also a few veggie places.  Which is amazing in two very meat heavy countries!  Now to start selecting cameras for the trip!

Gold

Well, it's about time... some good news.  A Photo II student was the only PV student to receive a Gold Key award in the Scholastic NJ region.  Woo hoo!  I am super excited because it is a lady who works tirelessly, she is sooo respectful, and is just an all around great person and deserves this a great deal.  I will find out about the Silver Key and Hon. Mentions later in the week, and I am keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Speaking of respect.... flipped my lid a week ago after leaving a family gathering.  I had to sit through the "greedy teachers" comments yet again.  My sister, her hubby and I teach and were present.  My husband is a state worker for the Division of Developmental Disabilities and was also there.  We all suffer at the hands of our governor.  We all work our *sses off and we are not special in that.  And we should not have to constantly defend our professions.  Yet there we were and big mouth Mel said nothing and neither did anyone else.  Who was that "anyone else" that should have defended us?  My mother.  She loves a good debate but when push comes to shove, she can't fathom defending our field to certain people.  I was disgusted and left shortly after.

Then there's the chart I found recently that compares time teachers put into their work relative to the pay they receive.  The pay is considered among many other factors, making the comparisons more honest.  US at the top of time expenditure and near the bottom in pay.

So then I have my delightful students in periods 3 and 8 who refuse to respect each other and me and never close their mouths when I or a classmate need to speak.  I even had to scream at them both on Friday.  Throat hurt the whole night.  The waitress at Heritage Grille took sympathy on me - she was a former teacher - and gave me extra sauce for my Tennessee bread pudding.  It was a special sauce.

So I have been realizing that for my own well-being and what is left of my sanity, I cannot possibly retire from teaching.  I'm not quitting just yet, but but I can't make it another 20 years.  I may be able to in another country where I will get more respect - or at least free time that matches my low pay.  Hungary, the UK, Italy and Belgium all look good right now... 

Because of the work I do with preservation, I have also been thinking of restoration.  I do a lot of volunteer work in that line and have found at least one low-residency master's program in Historic Preservation.  But that is hard work on my hands and I have to honestly assess the condition they are in.  The surgery seems to have improved things with the right hand.  I don't know....

I do know that I am going to start actually using my sick days.  Why let them go to waste?