So True

You Are Spring Break

You are fun loving and celebratory. You live for good times with friends and strangers. You like meeting and mingling. You are a social person by nature. You like to "play hard"... even if you don't work hard. You are able to let go of your worries and truly enjoy life.

What Part of Spring Are You?

Well-Deserved Rest

First off, just want to send a shout-out to my newest lurker. Hey B! Glad to have you here. There are more lurkers than any of you know. (Yeah, Hollis, I'm talking to you. You're not the only one out there reading and not commenting.)

Yesterday, I took a well-deserved day off. Not only did I exercise my tushy off over the weekend, but I also managed to hurt my shin somehow. I didn't notice it until yesterday afternoon (so maybe I was sitting on it funny at work? I tend to sit on my ankles), so I'm not too worried about it. However, it did alert me that a rest day was OK. On my day off I continued to enjoy the butterflies float through town and took a trip to Costco to get some glucosamine with chondroitin with a coupon. I stocked up on a couple of bottles ($5 off a $23 product ain't too shabby).

I have also decided that I need to buy some new pants. I did run my pants through the high heat cycle of the dryer to shrink them down some. I'm not saying that I've been losing even 10s of pounds of weight, but enough that my pants are hanging off of me. It is not attractive.

Of course, today I took some not-so-deserved rest. Grades were due today (well, tomorrow at 9am, which is the same as saying tonight), so I was at school until 6:30. And, well, after all that grading, I took a mental health evening. I should be able to do some running tomorrow, though. Just gotta make it through three more days until SPRING BREAK! YEAH!!

The Butterflies are Back in Town

There has been a migration of butterflies through my town this weekend. No, really. I was coming back from school yesterday, and it looked like there was bark flying through the air, except it wasn't smacking against the car. I quickly realized it was a swarm of butterflies and not bark at all. (I have extensive experience with swarms of butterflies cavorting from my mountain climbing.) They have been everywhere, especially in the fields. So when I headed back to the coast for my run today, I drove through even more of them. I'm not sure what type they are, they seem sort of brown and small. Butterflies flying by are beautiful, nonetheless.

I had a bit of a struggle finding a less dangerous entre to the bike path, however. I went to the state park beach that I know about (it has a parking lot, you see), but when I didn't see the path and took a gander at the map, I saw that the railroad tracks cut inland at that point. Grrr. So I headed up the freeway and saw where the path cuts from inland back to the freeway, but without any indication of what road exactly it was following. So, after wandering around the back roads of Marina (including the boarded up and blocked off former Fort Ord army base), I found my way back to the road I drove in on and saw where the path cut across. Finally.

I started running and took a short detour along a broken-down path back to the beach. I considered running along the beach, but the slope is too steep and the tide was too high. It was not comfortable running. Back to the bike path it was. Although, when I got to the path, I decided to follow the paved road beside it that cut through the state park. (I saw it yesterday, but wasn't sure how to get from the bike path to this other -- obviosuly closed to motorized traffic -- paved road that ran closer to the ocean.)



And I ran, and ran, and ran. It felt longer than the 6 miles I finally google mapped it to be, but it was still 6 miles of almost uninterupted running. There are some hills along the path, and I made it up and down them, both ways. I think I'll hit this path up a few more times before d-day (r-day? hm-day?). There was a wind, but it wasn't too strong.

I'm pretty sure I've figured out how to access the path in a much nicer area than the strip malls and fast-food joints. Next weekend we'll see if I'm right. And next weekend, I'm going for 8!

Poetry

On Friday, I looked in my "mailbox" at school, and I found a poetry journal just kicking it in there. There was no note, no mailing label, and I don't recall signing up for a free trial journal. I asked another English teacher, and she didn't get one in her box. So I have a mystery poetry supplier -- or pusher, as it were. I've only glanced through it, but I do know that this issue is all translated works. So maybe it's from the China seminar I took earlier in the year? But then why no mailing label? I also suspsected the librarian, but she LOVES to leave notes on crazy paper. Perhaps it's the science teacher who also has an MFA in writing? I'll have to ask him. Other than that, I am stumped. I am also pretty stoked. Poetry gifts are just cool.

Crosstown Traffic

Today was a beautiful day in Sunny California. Sunny, blue skies, 70+ degrees (in March). Oh yes, finally a state where March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb (or is that supposed to be April?).

I decided to take Lolita out for some cross-training -- but longer cross-training that I'm supposed to since I've been so slack. I did a little Web searching, and realized that there's a coastal bike trail: the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Path. You can order the bike map online, but then it's not available immediately. So I drove to REI to see if they had a map. The nice man at REI didn't have a map, but he did tell me how I could get onto the path a few short blocks (and three dangerous intersections) away. So, I left the car in at REI and pedaled away.

Througout this entire process, I find myself saddened by my physical state of being. I used to get on Lolita and ride 30 miles without thinking about it much. Today, I made it 10 miles (or so), and I was definitely wiped out. It's good that I'm doing this, but damn, I do not want to fall back to this level again. It is so not cool.

It was a gorgeous ride, though. Of course, on one side of the path are speeding cars on Highyway 1, but on the other are dunes and the ocean. The flowers are all starting to bloom and everything is beige and green and red and orange. And, on the way back I finally got my bike computer working! Turns out, it wasn't the cadence sensor at all, it was the wheel sensor. Silly me. So, by the next ride I'll have some good stats for you.

Chicken or the Egg

So I owe you a lot of posts on running, and I'm probably just gonna skip most of (all of?) last week. It was another bad week for running -- the early days kick my ass and then even when I do run, I have no energy to write a Facebook status, let alone a whole blog.

This week was much the same: I did lift some weights on Monday, but nothing else until today, when I busted out 4 miles. So there I am, running along with a stitch in my side and a total inability to take a really full breath and then my legs ache a little, too. And this all feels very, very familiar.

I've been rehashing my old Lessons From Cross Country, lately. (It happens when you're in the middle of a run, you know.) Back in high school I always wanted to get good enough that I could keep up without any pain. Actually, I would have settled for the whole absence of pain part. So senior year rolls around, and we're running down the railroad tracks behind Rich's heading back towards the high school. Suddenly, I realize that I'm not by myself. April (the fastest runner on the team) is just up ahead, and I'm chatting with Nicole. I'm keeping up! I've gotten better! A lot better!! And... it still hurts.

Right then and there I decided if it doesn't hurt, then you're not doing it right. In order to advance, in order to get better, you can't sit around and let it happen -- you have to make it happen. And that work, that effort, that's the pain.

Has this philosophy colored my enture life? Do I do crazy, difficult things (like move states to new jobs in gang-infested areas or attempt half-marathons after two years of virtual inactivity) because I'm convinced that I'm not really living if I'm not doing something difficult? Or, did I come up with this theory exactly because this was already a part of my personality?

Chicken. Egg.

John Hope Franklin

I heard that John Hope Franklin passed away. He was 94 years old.

John Hope wrote the book, no kidding, on African American history. Although he ended his academic days as a professor at Dook, he was a very incredible man. "Righteous" is a good word to describe him. I was privileged enough to work a couple of shows that UNC-TV did about him, Biographical Conversations With... John Hope Franklin and an episode of North Carolina Bookwatch. I know that he loved to grow orchids, and at the time of the interview he had plants older than I was. For all I know, they are still older than I am.

I was thinking about him today. I could say that that's eerie, but it's just that I was showing my students a film about the Jim Crow South (we're getting ready to read Black Boy), and I always think of him when I see anything relating to African American scholarship. Did I mention that he wrote the book? (It's called From Slavery to Freedom, by the way.) I did, however, think in particular that he must be getting pretty old by now.

Rest in peace, John Hope Franklin. You are a true inspiration and role model.

I'm Back

Back I'm Santa Cruz, that is. Idiot that I am, I left one class' ungraded papers in Los Gatos yesterday. So I'm meeting Baby Mama's Daddy in SC to pick them up. On the plus side, with my phone, I'm getting all my blogging and facebooking taken care of.

Now, Baby Mama's Daddy (not to be confused with Baby Daddy) always tells me that I spend too much time grading. He's one of those old teachers who tells me what I should and shouldn't be doing. And then when he's done laughing at me (it's always with a smile on his face), he hands me some curriculum that he's developed over the years. He just gave me a bunch of stuff about Mississippi Burning for my sophomores who are getting ready to read Black Boy. Priceless.

As for my students, I helped a student change his grade tom an F (he was at a 58%) to B- today. We went over the A Raisin in the Sun test he failed, we watched key scenes in the movie, and we discussed major plot points. His new grade might not the truest assessment of what he learned, but the smile on his face was priceless. I'm not sure he's gotten anything as high as a B since elementary school--if even then. If nothing breeds success like success, them I might get some higher order thinking out of him by the end of the year. Oh, and the B, it took some time and effort on his end. I didn't just hand it to him. And now I have him hooked on being a good student.

I Hate My Town

This could as easily be titled "I Miss Portland". I know, more whining from the Queen of the Whine. Is it any wonder I love cheese?

Anyhow, I am sitting in a coffee shop in Santa Cruz that I picked randomly off the Web. It could almost me Portland in here. The space is open and bright, with exposed beams, local art on the wall, and the sort of hanging chalkboard menus that are typical of McMenamins. They have self-serve drip decaf (which trumps even P-town), and the best sandwich I have had the pleasure of buying in quite some time. You can't get a good sandwich in my flour-tortilla town to save your life.

The sandwich is a simple veggie sandwich, if you can call toasted (yes, toasted!) sourdough with mayo, mustard, and hummus, romaine lettuce, red onion, tomato, avacado, cucumber, and Swiss and cheddar cheese "simple". The only thing that could improve this sandwich would be some melty--although then it would get greasy and lose that fresh, hippie, earth-lover, naturalist vibe. So maybe, I'd use a cheese spread instead--I could see this as a pimento cheese type thing. But I'm merely suggesting a little gilding on the lily here.

More about running when I'm not abusing my iPhone.

I'm Throwing Rocks Tonight

Actually, I was throwing wiffle balls. My only good roll was a spare pick-up on a split. For the first time, ever, in my life, I hit the 5 pin and sent it careening across the lane to hit the 7 pin. What's even better? I actually planned on doing that. I aimed that way. I set up the shot. Yeah, pretty hott.

However, even with my two disappointing 90-something games, my team pulled it out. Actually, had we been bowling last week, it wouldn't even have been a contest. A few of us were off our games tonight. But, I guess the other teachers in the area just aren't that good, because WE WON THE TOURNAMENT!!!!!

That's right, first place! We each got $25 bucks and a free game of bowling.

AND, because we've been bowling 2-3 times a week for the last month or so, all the employees were rooting for us. (Oh, and cause we're just generally awesome, friendly, super people.) We were on a broken lane, and Coriander (not her real name) even came and sat with us to fix the pins everytime it did a false re-set. Yeah, pretty sweet.

Oh, it gets even better. We get a trophy with our names on it. AND, they're going to come to the school to deliver it. AND we have a staff meeting on Thursday, so we're going to have them deliver it during the meeting. We'll be getting some mad props on this one. It is so cool.

Cinco Equis forever!

Just a Cheeseburger

I really wanted a cheeseburger after my run. A cheeseburger with a coke. A sweet, fizzy, cold Coke. And some french fries. At a table. I imagined grading some papers while sipping on my Coke.

But alas, it was not to be. Three o'clock on a Sunday afternoon is not the time to go looking for cheeseburgers in this flour tortilla town. Not that I *really* know where to look, but I do know not to go back to First Awakenings. (That, and they close at 2:00.) I had to go to the grocery store, so while wandering among the fresh veggies, I decided I would just *make* my own burger. I picked up some potato chips, a bottle of Coke, and some organic, grass-fed ground beef. What can I say? I am not running to lose weight. I am running to obsess about something other than school. And to eat.

So I made myself a burger. I put cheese on top. I toasted some white bread and smothered it with Helman's mayo (there not many things better than a sandwich that begins with toasted white bread and Helman's mayo). I added some lettuce and some onion (the tomatoes were too sad looking to even try). And then I ate it. Can you tell how good it was?

Shopping! *ding*

(You should be imagining the sound effects from WBLM's Morning Show when you read that title.)

I bought myself some running clothes today. I was actually amazed at the difficulty that I had in finding a pair of spandex. I mean, come on, spandex are the most common, simple item. They go great under my cute Terry skirts and they protect me against the infamous "chub rub".

We all know me (more or less), and we've all seen me. So we all know that I am not a tiny, hard-bodied chick. I'm more on the Rubenesque side of things, but even when I am at my most slender, most light-weight, my thighs still touch. I've seen the women (you see them on the covers of magazines all the time -- Hell, I saw one running down the trail ahead of me today) whose legs don't touch even when their feet do. They have what we call "skinny legs". If you have skinny legs, you can wear a pair of running shorts (that cover almost none of your legs) without any ill effects. However, when I wear running shorts (or any shorts) and then move my legs quickly, the flesh on my thighs invariably rubs together. Do this long enough, and it gets painful. This, my friends, is the aforementioned chub rub. Like rug burn, except you still have to run your aching muscles, burning lungs, and now smarting legs home before you can do anything about it. Fun, huh?

And it's never going to go away. Ever. I will always have chunky legs. It's just how I'm made. I am resigned to this fact. I will never wear skinny jeans. Pants from Forever 21 will never fit. That's just the way it is. I'm OK with this. But I need spandex to run in shorts. Otherwise, I don't run. Now, I had a pair back in high school. I had two pair, actually. One of them disappeared (my favorite pair, sadly -- damn, those things fit great) but I thought I still had the other pair. But, I couldn't find them yesterday. It seems that all my spandex shorts now how chamois in the crotch -- which is great for cycling, but a bit of an overkill for running.

So I took my 20% coupon and my dividend down to REI today to find a pair of spandex shorts. After canvassing the whole woman's section, I found one display of spandex shorts that had a chamois in the crotch (but really lightweight -- I guess they are for triathalons), one display of name brand capri spandex, and one display of REI-brand capri spandex. After tracking down a saleswoman who did find the correct size for me in the back, I opted for the REI version. They're prety sweet, actually. They have a zip pocket across the lower back and some reflective strips along the legs. But they are capris, so they will get warm come summer. Maybe I'm just too early, but it seems like now is the time to get the summer gear on the racks.

Anyway, I took my newly purchased capris over to my county park and hit the trails. (I also dusted off my super-cute Terry skirt with the black and red swirly design, finding $1 in the pocket while I was at it.) It was another run-walk. Lots of walking on the up, lots of running on the down. I was out for about 90 minutes and had some great views on the way down. I could see all the way to the ocean. It was very, very beautiful.

I think part of the reason (besides being out-of-shape and sheer laziness) why I walk on these runs is because I do enjoy hiking. When I hit the woods, I WANT to walk. Oh well. Gotta get over that if I'm going to RUN 13 miles.

The Wheels on My Bike Go Round and Round

I hauled Lolita out of the garage today and took her out for a short spin. (Lolita is my touring bike, for those of you who don't know.) Since I ran yesterday, I figured I'd make today the cross-training day and tomorrow my running day. I had to put some air in her tires, but other than that, Lolita was good to go. She's as spunky as ever and I found everything I needed except for a water bottle. (And my floor pump--but I know I left that in Portland.)

The schedule says 40 minutes, so 40 minutes I did. I would have done more, but the nasty, nasty west wind was not cooperating. It's one thing to tire yourself out, but it's another thing to do it in the face of a 12mph head wind. (Yes, I looked up the wind speed.) That, and the roads around here are pretty lame for riding. I mean, I had a nice shoulder, but it's just no fun on the 55mph, 2-lane road that everyone takes to get to Hwy 1. However, to get to any other roads, you must first deal with this one.

Anyway, I made it about 7.5 miles in 40 minutes. I would give you a blow-by-blow of my cadence and speed, but the magnet on my crank is off, so I don't have that intel. I know you're disappointed.

Running Down a Dream

Went for a run today, and for the first time since I've begun this little ol' trip, I felt good both starting and stopping. The alarm went off at 5am, but after climbing into bed at 11, there was no way I was getting up, and I'm glad I didn't.

By this afternoon, the weather was mild and the sun was shining. I got home 4:30ish and changed into shorts and short-sleeved shirt. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I got some Vitamin D this afternoon! It was a trifle breezy heading west, but I sucked it up. I don't know if it was the sun or the week of rest, but I felt pretty good even at the beginning. It was still just my 3.5 mile loop, but I felt like I could do the distance. I'm also getting better at ignoring my body and the pain and just focusing on the steps. Speaking of...

Way back when, 20 or so years ago, I used to sing songs in my head when I ran. I was slow, as slow as I am now, and I generally ended up running alone. I didn't mind, really, but I did sing to myself in order to pass the time. Sure, Walkmen existed, but they were heavy and large and skipped. In 1990, I sang a lot of "Englishman in New York" by Sting. It's got a good rhythm and I knew the words. What can I say? And I have continued this tradition while climbing: I have recited "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service on about six mountains -- but all silently to myself (I start reciting when I get too winded to talk). I often forget the stanza in themiddle, but because I know enough of the rhymes, I can work out the whole poem. It makes it more interesting because I have to think about what comes next.

Well, I've noticed that when I start running (sans earbuds), those two works consume my brain power. Incidentally, I tried to recite "The Cremation of Sam McGee" for my friends the other day, and I got lost in the middle, but when I started running two days later, I remembered the whole thing. Maybe I'm just a creature of habit, but I also think that iPods have destroyed us. My iPod is tiny and has no moving parts -- it never skips -- making it ideal for exercise. But it also saddens me, because I'm sure that if I spent more time _without_ ear buds in my ears, I would force myself (from sheer boredom) to memorize more poems and songs. I still haven't mastered "Wet Dream" or "Alice's Restaurant" -- although I made big inroads back in the early 90s. I could also relearn Mark Antony's speech or polish off a few sonnets. Maybe I could fialize "Ozymandeus" or tackle "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" or "The Raven". The options are endless... except that I am tied to my iPod.

I read Fahrenheit 451 last year with my sophomores. I could see it in there, but I wasn't able to fully draw out the problems that Ray Bradbury foresaw with, well, earbuds (he calls them seashells). Those things cut us off from the world. They shut down our brains and shut down our communication. My kids don't get it, but it's why I don't let them use them in class. But there I am, plugged in, and disconnected from the world around me. Hey, at least I'm running.

And Katy, I *love*, love, love love your quotes. I need to put them all on a t-shirt. I am my own hero and it is a miracle that I've even started. And I love carbs -- all of them. And I want a blow-by-blow of your Disney run. Is this the Cali Disney park (I can't remember which is which)? If so, maybe we can meet up and hang out!!!!

Too Much Rest, Not Enough Running

I've been very bad this week. I took Monday off, which is OK. I woke up super-tired. Fine. Then I didn't run on Tuesday, either. I was again super-tired. Like, get home, take a nap, grade a few papers while eating, then go back to bed tired. On Tuesday, I had even more papers to grade (rough drafts of essays), so I was up until 11 doing those (and still wasn't finished). So, I didn't run Wednesday morning. I was determined to run Wednesday night, but when I got home, I went straight to bed and slept for two hours. Then I woke up, ate dinner, and went back to bed.

That is how exciting my life has been.

Today was gorgeous, so I decided to hit up my county park and try to get in some hills. Of course, I couldn't tell when it closed (because of crazy daylight savings time) so I only had about 40 minutes. I ran for about 20-25 of those minutes, which is something. I'm counting it as the 2 mi. "rest" day that should have been Wednesday. I need to get up tomorrow morning and hit the road, though. Which means I need to get to bed now. But after running and dinner, we headed out to the bowling alley. I rolled rather eratic games (nothing like a 10th frame 0 after a 9th frame strike), but I did win one game. yay!

So, running, not so much this week, but even with my work commitments I am managing to have much more of a social life.

Not My Students

I'm not sure what has happened, but one of my HellClasses has calmed down. Now this is the exact same HellClass that was the the site of the observation that got me thinking about it all. The very same students who can't shut their traps and do some simple assignments.

Well, for the last two days, they've been pretty good. On Friday, they sat down and wrote essays. Quietly. Focused. I wondered what sprites had come in and changed bodies with them. The same thing today -- they sat down and started working. Then they quietly took notes. (I mean, some small craziness -- but I got them when I heard the balled up paper hit the floor when my back was turn and called them on it -- but nothing big or stupid.) I even got to talk to them a little bit -- I cracked a few jokes. They even thought they were new jokes (my joke about not having spellcheck on my white board is not new). I could tell them it was just the first time they were paying attention enough to hear it. And they laughed.

Again, I do not know who these kids are, but they are not mine. I still have work to go with my other two HellClasses, but right now, I'm more than half not hating my students. Not bad for a week's work and some cell phone confiscation.

Some Not So Good Things

Some not-so-good news today.

First, I was origionally just going to write to tell y'all how lame I felt for all the walking I did today. I went back to my county park and started out, but those hills are tough. My town is flat-as-a-pancake, and I am just not used to any sort of elevation, even the really slight kind that looks flat, but isn't. My steps are tiny, my legs hurt, and the walking just takes over.

Now, I'm pretty sure I still ran more than half of the time. And I was out for 75 minutes. I did run a considerable bit on the return trip -- and didn't feel totally spent. Of course, that means I have far more energy than I am using on the uphills; I'm being lazy. It does make me think that I need to find a way to get some hill work in. Serious hill work. Like, run up the hill, walk down, repeat, ad nauseum (I'm only slightly joking about that last bit).

But then, while chatting with Shells this afternoon (she wants to come out and join me for the race), I found out some bad information. I waited too long to register and the race is full. :-( I was waiting to get paid, and then I had this issue with a new debit card... and now it's too late. So, Baby Mama is going to be disappointed. I might still go with her, but maybe not. It'll be a pretty expensive trip anyway (the race itself is $70 and that doesn't include the wine tasting at the end, plus travel and accommodations).

Shells however, not to be discouraged, immediately went and found more races. So we're thinking of doing a half a week later in Half Moon Bay, which is about two hours or so from here. We can do our own wine tasting in the area (for less money), and stay at my place (for less money), and the race is significantly less expensive ($35). I'm also looking at picking up a 5/10K in Santa Cruz over my spring break, to get a little race time in. It's a "challenging" course, which will probably kick my ass, but my ass could use a little kicking.

Arms

I was going to go running today, but I got a text at 1pm seeing if I wanted to hit up the rock gym. Well, the answer was an emphatic "Yes", so I'll save the running for tomorrow. Tomorrow was supposed to be a 30 min. cross-training day. Of course, rock climbing isn't a constant aerobic activity, it's more of an off-and-on thing, but I think that 2 1/2 hours at the rock gym is good enough to balance a 30-min. cross-training day. It also gives me a little balance -- getting in some solid upper-body work instead of all legs, all the time.

They also have a slack line set up (it's a piece of webbing about 2 feet off the ground that's stretched fairly taught that you walk like a tight rope), so I gave that a try. It's pretty fun, especially for a recovering gymnast like myself. I went from being totally shaky and not being able to stand on it to taking a step or two. I still have a ways to go, but I could see some definite improvement. And it was a nice way to take a break when my arms got tired from climbing. 'Cause my arms? Wimpy.

I feel like a bad joke in the Catskills: Any boy, are my arms tired.

Ugh

I woke up yesterday morning at 5am. I was dressed and outside by 5:15. Boy, was I tired. And when I stepped outside, it was cold and windy. WINDY. Like I imagine Chicago, windy. So I turned around and went back inside. I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. Yes, after getting up and getting dressed, I went back inside and went back to bed for a whole 30 minutes.

Yesterday afternoon I drove to San Jose (an hour) to meet up with a friend (St. Paul of the Scree Slopes) from Portland. He was in town for One Night Only on business. So I drove up, went to the teacher store (where I scored BIG with big paperclips, an awesome green and beige metal Swingline stapler, dry and wet erase markers, a box of 100 transparencies for $6, and more manilla folders than even I might be able to use up in the rest of the year) which happened to be a few blocks from St. Paul's place of employment. Then we met up with his sister, hit the Trader Joe's (essential in San Jose) and had dinner. I didn't get back home until 11pm. Long day.

I didn't even try to get up at 5am this morning. But I did get home by 4pm so I could change and go running. I didn't make it the foull 3.5 though. I crapped out around 2 miles and walked home (maybe 1/2 mi?). So, I did get out and get some exercise, but it was not ideal. I do need to run the full 5 tomorrow (big sleep tonight). Also going to try to hit up the rock gym on Sunday with the bowlers.

I gave myself a sticker (I use motivational stickers on my calendar) for today, but it's a "Keep Going!" sticker, not an "A+" or "Great" sticker.

Take it Easy

Today was an easy day, so I ran a mile on the track -- just me and The Masses (what was it you called them? I expect an email with the answer M&M). Sometimes, my bowling team runs on Wednesdays, not today though. Still, I had my clothes so I headed down to the track anyway. I ran in circles four times, and then walked one more. I figured it was enough to get up my heart rate and remind my muscles that they do need to work, whether they like it or not.

It was sorta cool being back at prack tractice. I reminisced about all my failed attempts at field events (high jump, discus, shot put, javelin), the races that made me puke (damn you 800 and 1000!), the races that were just embarassing (OK, that was all of them). All the kiddoes were doing their little things -- girls running in a pack, a few hurdlers (one kid had horrible form, it hurt to watch), sprinters practicing their starts, the relays practicing hand-offs. It was like being in a Bruegel painting.

The really cool thing was that I saw some of my students -- and they said hi! Obviously, it was students that I don't hate. One of them even initiated a full conversation with me. I could tell him that I used to run (15 years ago) and that I was training for a half marathon. It was sweet.

Maybe my bowling team will show up next week and I will go for more than a mile. But it gets a little boring after awhile with no one to talk to and no one watching.

Three Point Five

I set the alarm for 5am... but I didn't get up. Funny, when I have a bad night's sleep, I use it as an excuse to stay in bed, but when I have a good night's sleep, I use it as an excuse to stay in bed. So, I stayed in bed.

But I did get home in time to run 3.5 miles this evening. I even ran my route backwards, because it's good to mix things up. Took me the 45 minutes I thought it would. And it seems that it's somewhere around the 1.5/2 mile mark that I want to stop running. If I make it past that, then I can finish. It's good information to have. I just have to make it two miles and my dreams of potato chip crumbs and pillows fade away.

And Some Rants

You know what I hate? Really, really, really hate? (And I don't hate a lot of things.)

I hate veteran teachers who tell me what to do. I don't mean veterans who offer advice or support. I don't mean veteran teachers who share what they've learned and listen to my concerns, problems, and ideas. No, I mean veteran teachers who tell me, in no uncertain terms, to not do whatever it is I'm doing.

And I'm not talking about illegal stuff (which I don't do anyway). But this isn't some "Don't take students home in your car" or "Don't give gifts to students" telling. This is the "Don't take work home, ever." "Stop getting to work early right now!" You know, I know I work too much. I know that it is not healthy to spend as much time at work as I do. But I have to do that right now in order to make it through this year, and probably next. If you wanted to be helpful, you'd ask me what I'm doing, offer some kind suggestions, and then give me a stack of curriculum that I can rip-and-read. Because without it, it's all hot air. Until I have my own stack of curriculum, it's going to be early mornings and late nights and Saturday with the red pen. It just is, so stop yelling at me already; you're not helping!

(BTW, this rant is not directed at anyone reading this blog.)

I've got some classroom management issues, so I'm trying some new things. Maybe I needed to tell my mentor more about the meeting with my principal (and he was very supportive), but still, I need to change some things, now. I need to at least TRY new stuff. But she immediately tells me don't do this and make sure you do that -- but never once does she really stop and ask why I'm making these decisions, what do I hope to accomplish, or where did I get my ideas from.

I am not an idiot. I have a Master's degree (she does not -- although she does have a number of years of experience on me). I have had wonderful mentors -- WONDERFUL. But she starts in on this and that and what she does. Well, I don't have a calendar from my department telling me what to teach, exactly, and by when. I don't have a book that I can pull out and assign any number of problems from and then grade in a black/white, yes/no, on/off, one/zero manner. I have essays and paragraphs and decisions about how many points this error is or that... and when it's late, it a0 takes me forever to remember the finer points and b) does not make for the most fair or accurate grading. And I LIKE getting to talk to my students, and my plan makes that happen.

Yeah, one-third of them might fail if I don't accept late work. And that looks bad on me, and I might get fired. But if I keep up what's going on, and let them be slack about everything and not hold them to deadlines so they are even more inclined to goof off in class, then I'll get fired anyway.

Not that she really stopped to figure that out.

Thank you to those of you who have truly listened to my problems and my ideas and have offered constructive, helpful, caring advice and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Seems Like all I do is Rest

Well, at least I made today a working rest day. Yesterday I rested completely, no cross-training at all. It's partly my laziness to blame, partly my job. Again, it was a rough end of the week which lead to a lot of professional soul-searching. Sometimes can be good for exercising, but not always for stupid short exercises when there is still a ton of work to do.

Anyway. Today I did get up at 5:30am, just not to go running. No, it was to get to school early and finish everything I hadn't because I forgot all the really important stuff there over the weekend. (Self sabotauge, anyone?) Regardless, when I got home tonight I had some carbs. (Carbs=good, especially before a workout). Then I did some weights (arms, back, chest, legs, abs -- the usual) and a few light stretches. But by then it was 7:30 and I was FAMISHED. So I ate some protein (roast chicken with brown rice -- just so I can start buying white bread again, now if I could only find Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread in this Godforsaken land). And now at little blogging, and then bed.

Tomorrow is up at 5am for running.