Thursday, October 13, 2011

#54--A More In-Depth Study of the Fall Semester

When I started school this semester, I was pretty nervous about teaching. I didn't know if I would be any good, or if I would really even like it at all. As it turns out I enjoy teaching quite a lot, and after the mid-term evaluations, I think I'm doing pretty well.

I've met some cool people and been able to become more acquainted with others that I knew before. Kari is a fun character, frequently singing quietly (and quite well!). Kat and Josh are siblings that have entirely too much fun together for siblings, and are quite the tricky duo. Eric I knew from undergrad, and of course Lindsey as well. Overall it is a fun time.

As GTAs, we have a lot of fun. I have learned how to play the cauldron game. I am not much good at the game, however, but it is still great stress relief. We also had our office remodeled lately, and now that the renovations are finished, we are all moved back in. What was just an office for English GTAs is now an office for the English and History GTAs. The room is quite broken up, but seems more or less okay. Since the remodel, the center of the room has a sort of island of five desks and the printer area. As a result, one could run a circle around the island if they wished.

Let me insert a small story here. We moved the mini-fridge and the printer from Roosevelt back to Plumb yesterday, and we used a small rectangular cart (really just a plank of wood with four wheels screwed to it) to move the items over. The fridge was quite a challenge to get to the other building, but I think the printer went easier. The cart was in the new office, waiting to be returned to it's owner. Becca decided to lay on her back on the cart, just to be silly. I saw this as an opportunity for her and I to have a lovely adventure. So she pulled her knees up to her chest and I pushed on the bottom of her sneakers. We made one full tour of the room, and I'm sure we were quite bemusing to one of the history GTAs, Nigel. Becca was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe very well, so it took her a little while to recover once we had reached back to the finish line. Lindsey thought we were crazy. Which is to be suspected. I'm sure I've been crazy for a long time now.

The actual teaching aspect is an adventure all in itself. On the first day I was quite nervous. I had no idea what my students would look like, even though I knew their names from the list I have on my teacher page. Every now and again I still get nervous about teaching, for no apparent reason. Mostly, it is a fun time, and I enjoy helping them learn how to do new things, or practice what they already know. I didn't think I would like teaching as much as I do, but it is pretty awesome.

On a very different note: My ex-friend has been making an appearance in my life, mostly in passing-by, which shouldn't bother me but it does. It isn't so much that she goes to school here still, or that she's around, but what bothers me is that she sees me, and pretends like everything is fine, like nothing ever happened. I could claim, "O! The injustice!" but it would be to no point. I don't care that she's chosen to make the decisions she has. I don't care if she's miserable for the rest of her life. The only thing that gets me is that she smacked me in the face, stabbed me in the back, and 1. I don't know why she chose to do that and 2. when she sees/speaks to me, she acts like there is nothing wrong. I don't think I can ever be her friend again, and I don't know that I want to be her friend, especially after the way she has treated me. If she ever decides to  come crawling back to me, she can forget it. I'll have nothing to do with her. That is all I have to say on the subject.

Back to happier thoughts: My cousin is getting married this weekend, which is very nice. I would go except that I'll have a lot of work to do this weekend in terms of catching up on homework, making lesson plans, and celebrating my one-year anniversary on Sunday with Alex. (I mentioned in my last post that we'll be going to Santa Fe for the *real* celebration over fall break, and I will reiterate that I am very excited about this trip). I am disappointed that I will not be able to go to the wedding and remain productive over the weekend. Since I would have to leave tomorrow afternoon and wouldn't come back until Sunday, I would really be killing most of my weekend that way.

Coming up is Halloween, and my birthday just before. In November we're having a piano burning, which will be a ghastly but wonderful event all at the same time. I'm really looking forward to that, even though some folks will be sad at the death of the piano.

Because it is the fall season and the leaves are turning, the witchy part of me wants out, and so that means I need to fix my dress. It is a dress I got at the Renaissance Festival last year. The strap came undone where it attaches to the main part of the dress. However, I feel it is an easy fix (I only need to find my needle stash and my black thread). I am anxious to wear it. I feel I need to find a good amount of accessories to wear with it, and I'll go as a witch again for Halloween this year. I can't remember the last time I was a witch for Halloween, but I do know it has been a long time since I even dressed up.

But for now, I have to go, as Alex's homemade pizza is finished and I am hungry enough to eat a medium sized mammal.

#53--Two Months Later, Three Days To Go

Well a lot has happened since July and my last post. Some things I was on top of then  have fallen out of my higher priority list (KAFE being one of those, unfortunately).

As far as the lunch thing went from before, it was alright. Outside of that, the person has received quite an injury due to some negligence on the boss's part, and is laid up until who knows when. Maybe for quite a long time. There is nothing I can do about all that.


School has been quite an adventure so far... Between teaching and taking classes, there is a lot to be learned. I just had my mid-term evals the other day, and 99.9% of comments were positive reflections of my class times and efforts therein. I found this to be quite encouraging.

In three days it will have been a  year since the wedding, and I am excited to achieve that milestone. We are going to Santa Fe next week to celebrate (during fall break). That trip should be quite lovely as well, since my bro-in-law says the weather down that way is beautiful.

That's as much of an update as I can give right now, since I need to run to the store for pizza toppings. That's right--homemade pizza by Alex. :-D It is always quite tasty.

Ciao!