Small Steps

Trying to use Siri to take these notes. Played battleship with Sebastian today, the first time in many years.

Homo Erectus

Currently on the Georgia viaduct. Looked to my right at the railing and saw the words in capital letters neatly printed: Homo Erectus. I don't know what made me look to my right, but Something did. There was nothing else on the railing, just this one Word. It was like the universe knew what
I was teaching.

New gadget

With our new and disastrous Telus account came a free Samsung Galaxy Tablet.  Just getting to know how it works.  Feels weird after an Apple.  It has some cool features such as screen shot and syncs with my Google account. I must figure out how to zoom with the camera. 

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Ying and Yang

Life is good.  Really good.  We are emptying the last few boxes from our move, and are now just waiting to arrange the transportation of our piano, sofa and bunkbeds from the old house.  I feel so settled and centred here, like all my life's dreams and efforts have brought me to this beautiful old (for Vancouver, anyway) house with the wrap around porch and enough storage space for me to be the pack-rat that is in my DNA, but I strive to deny.  And next year, I will be teaching all of Social Studies 7 (Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient India, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome) and Latin 8 and Latin 9.  Oh, and one class of English, just so I can still be taken seriously as an FSA-linked teacher.  But OMG, my life dream has come through and I feel like I have fulfilled my old professor's advice to create your own job.  I really hope that I can develop my Latin course into an Ancient Languages programme in the future, and eventually drop the English.  I am looking forward to a little Senior School teaching, made all the more enjoyable because I know many of my students.  I will be spending quite a bit of time getting ready for next year over the summer.

DS1 and DS2 are over the moon at the acquisition of two kittens: a teenage mom and her baby boy, whom they have named after the main characters from the Shrek offshoot, Puss in Boots and Kitty Soft Paws (but we are not getting them declawed).  I have my ears peeled for the sounds of scratching.  Nothing too serious yet. 

They are providing hilarious events in the household too: tonight, as I was scooping the poop into the toilet, Puss gallopped into the bathroom and did his usual leaping routine from the tub to the toilet on the way to the sink, but he didn't realise the seat was up and he fell into the toilet.  Luckily there wasn't anything too gross in there, but I still ended up disinfecting after all the splashing that went on.  Can't wait to tell the kids in the morning.

Yes, I survived my first year of teaching at our lovely school.  I can't believe I have 10 weeks off, and I am being paid!  Plus we are not paying for a nanny, so I feel like I am getting paid again.  So far so good with the kids. They are getting to the point sometimes where they need to be separated, and are quite amenable to being directed to do doing some book work, but they will never ask for it.

Will try to write more often now that I have the internet set up in the house, not that it currently reaches the study, so I have to sit in the living room on our new gorgeous sofa with my husband. 

Last week, our patio furniture arrived (no thanks to the delivery jerks), and we have entertained twice outside already.  Heavenly conversation set.  Had my dear friend from Grade 1 and her family over.  We hang out quite regularly, but it really hit us that we were lounging around, eating lovely BBQ food, our children sitting at the kids' table, our spouses chatting merrily, after 33 years of friendship.  Now that is something!

Must run.

Happy moments

Had a few happiness life moments yesterday. Ran down along False Creek yesterday at 8:30 in the morning. Sun was shining, the view was breathtaking. Kept going for fifteen minutes without stopping all the way to Granville Island. This is what I always dreamed if doing. Then I walked back to our beautiful new home and showered, then ate a bowlful of berries and bananas and felt healthier (bar the allergy sniffles) than I have ever felt before in my life. I sat on the back stoop outside the kitchen with a cup of tea soaking up the sunshine. Then I picked up some flowers to take to my mom for Mother's Day. Took her our for lunch at the Boathouse at Kits beach. Then we strolled around Vanier Park and sat and watched all the ships in the bay. It was like she was a tourist in her own town. Then we went to the Planetarium to see the vintage fashion exhibition. I have never socialised with just my mother in this way. It was like we were friends, only better. She was curious about the iPhone. I did the soft sell. Would live to get her one or an iPad.
Then picked up my boys and we played at the house. Played with Payl too. Idyllic! For dinner I misjudged how far the Thai take away was and had to walk over a mile to get dinner. Nice though. Our neighbourhood gets better and better. They have just opened a comedy club a few blocks away!

The tyranny of the iPhone and no good deed goes unpunished

I haven't been on a regular keyboard in donkey's years now that I have an iPhone and I check my mail, but rarely send long missives anymore because I am such a rubbish typer on those touch things, and I end up saying inappropriate things unintentionally.
An aside: DS2 is singing "We are family", having been put to bed half an hour ago.  DS1 is correcting DS2's lyrics, but still having to fill in the unknown words with "da da da da".  So funny.
Well, today started out marvellously aside from the fact DH is out of town on business.  Got the kids off to their karate lesson, and then I set out on a run. I have promised my dear friend Elaine that I will meet her at Lulu Lemon on Wednesdays for a running club.  If you had told me that I would join a running club even six months ago, I would have fallen on the floor laughing.  Walking club, perhaps, but not running.  Anyway, the first session is supposed to be 30 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking.  Well, I figured out that I have a half second walking pace, and do 80 paces in a minute of running, so I counted my paces to do the following intervals.  If I was running uphill, I did 30/30.  If it was flat, I did 60/30.  If it was downhill and flat, I ran for as long as possible, with the longest stint being 3 minutes.  I made myself resume running after 30 seconds no matter what.  It worked!  I managed it, so at least I feel prepared for Wednesday's first session.  I was really sweaty after about 40 minutes of the interval training, and felt fantastic.  I can now see why people run.  I guess I have always been too easy on myself.  I usually get a real pain in my chest when I run, but I haven't been lately, which is encouraging.  I did check my heart rate a few times.  160 bpm.  I think that is a bit high for my old age.  All is well and good.  DS1 took his belt test today for karate, I fed the kids lunch, and then set about a spring clean/reorganise before heading back to school tomorrow.  Was sorting through DS2's clothes now that he has had a birthday and is refusing to wear anything that has a 4 on the label, and I sat down on the floor while holding a pile of trousers. I must have landed on one cheek before the other because I threw my back out in the process.  I have been squeaking and squealing with each movement ever since.  This does not bode well for the next term!  And yes, I stretched well during and after exercising.  Not a happy camper.

Our family trip to Hawaii was super.  My earliest friend asked me to be her bridesmaid for her upcoming (and first!) wedding in December in Miami.  We chose her wedding dress.  She started out looking at sleek and flowy and ended up choosing a full-on princess poof of a gown.  It was gorgeous!  She is so slim that it looks amazing on her.  We're donating the veil. Going to ask a friend from UC days to make it - she lives in Florida, so it makes sense postage wise too.

Feel like I have been a good mum over the holidays.  Played lots of games and rolled around with the kids and made them do math and write a journal.  Bit of everything.  Hope they go to bed. Morning has been coming early with the 3 hour jetlag.  I have 50 monologues on which to give feedback.  I really must get going.

Hallelujah

Broke 180 lbs for the first time in months.
Had my cyst emptied of gunge but not removed today. Not too painful thanks to the codeine and Ativan coursing through my circulatory system. Don't remember much about my conversation with my dad this afternoon as a result. Anyway, with DH out of town I was very grateful for being in Vancouver and close enough to call on my Dad for help and support. He and mom were great.
Realtor sent yet another good house possibility. Needs work but it is very similar to what we are living in now. Can still walk to school too, so definitely worth a look. Not going in tomorrow so may pop over to see it on a break from working at home.
Tired from ordeal nonetheless. Off to watch a film now to tie up the evening: Doubt

Couple pictures 16 years apart

Fickle follies

Last week were ready to put our life savings into a heritage property in a very commercial part of town, and this week we are about to put it into a very traditional mock Tudor style house on the edge of the poshest part of town that needs some work but that we can just move into. DH and I spent the whole evening weighing up the pros and cons, and decided to invite my mom and dad to see where we are considering sinking out fate. The good news is the mortgage rate has gone down and these sellers aren't wanting to close for five months so there is a chance the exchange rate will go up a bit and we don't have to play double rent. They have triplets so tidying for open houses and getting everyone and the dog out of the house for viewings are not easy. We are hoping they will be glad to have an offer on their pocket now for a slightly lower price.

Anyway, I have a ton to do tomorrow because I won't have Monday afternoon again to do my planning because I will be having the golf all sized pus ball squeezed out of me. Must get to bed at a reasonable hour.

One week down, nine to go

Until Hawaii. I was a good teacher this week. Been marking like mad. Thrilled to say I can see the kids are making progress. Reading comps are up. Essays look like essays. Hurrah! I don't remember ever writing as intensely or as often as these kids do. Little and often has to be the way in the long run.

Had parent meeting after school. Went well. I had been scared of the mother because she sounds quite abrasive and aggressive over email, but she was an excellent parent today. Very supportive and forward looking. The highlighted rubrics are great because they show exactly what the marks are based on and this corresponds to a percent mark.

Now on the bus to the walk in clinic to have the cyst on my back checked again. Three days of antibiotics haven't touched it. Wrong spectrum perhaps? Don't want a horrid scar there for Hawaii! Nor do I want the red hulk. Wonder how long the wait list is going to be.

Going one date tonight with DH. Trying to decide in a film. Lots if good ones on at the moment. Not allowed to see the Iron Lady because the nanny wants to see it with me.

Fun to blog again....

Almost Friday

We are waiting with baited breath now to see if our offer to buy this lovely house is just ignored or counter offered. We have found a few other decent places so if it doesn't work out I will only be partially heart broken and we won't be lured into a bad business decision due to our emotions.

DH has booked us a trip to Hawaii for spring break. Very excited. I have always wanted to go. My very first friend lives there now as a sociology professor and she is getting married next year. She used to go to Hawaii every summer with her sun crazy family. Going to Hawaii for Canadians is kind of like going to Spain for British people but there is surfing and jungle.

DH is away most of next week. Not happy. Just heading into the meat of the term. I have 50 essays to mark in the next two days and then I will have fifty reading comps over the weekend to mark, and next week 75 notebooks and 75 social studies tests. Omg. I am going to die!

Long time no see

On a new phone and haven't thought to download a blogger droid. New as if last August that is. I can hardly believe it is 2012. Life marches on. Friends are engaged. Others are pregnant. some are depressed. We are happy. We put an offer in on a house today so I suppose we have officially entered the fray of house buying in Vancouver. Prices are insane but at least the market works. There is no gasumping. You can't pull out at the last minute. Civilised. Except for the prices. Fingers crossed the owner will go for it or at least counter offer. I know the owner. He once snogged my sister-friend. Wondering if I can use that in the negotiations? Hmmmm. Must go to bed for it is late.