Preludes And Nocturnes

I need to turn down some work

Jenn — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:25:28 +0000

And it feels so unnatural.

I was only going to have part-time next term, so I was actively seeking another class or two for January. In the past couple of weeks I’ve been approached for 2 with the dept at the college I’m currently teaching in, been signed onto contract for +1 (2 already signed) with the Uni dept I’m teaching for this term, asked to apply for 1 with a different Uni dept, and was confirmed a contract for 1 (maybe two) with a second college dept.

So I’ve got classes at both the uni and the college, and I need to tell other Uni/College I am no longer putting myself forward for their classes.

It just feel strange when so many are out of work, and when we sometimes have terms with only part-time work. But I want to teach my classes well — so can you all call me on this in a week?

kthanks.

Teaching is funny

Jenn — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:40:07 +0000

But sometimes, it is too funny. So Malcolm has been sick, so Jim and I are trading off a whole lot with sleep. This means that two days this week, in particular, I was teaching while technically drunk, or asleep, or something like that.

My comment upon coming home that evening (to Jim): I think I might have morphed into a stand-up routine halfway through class.

It was … good?

I think my blog is having some serious issues

Jenn — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:00:57 +0000

It keeps giving me these weird messages at the top of the page, I am getting spam-o-rama for the past month, and all in all it makes my pants sad. I really like blogging - even if I don’t do it often enough. And I really love reading everyone’s blogs - even if we don’t do it enough. I have thought about going back to blogger just because then I can kinda manage it more myself. This whole learning to make my own webpage thing just never really took off for me. Then every year I think about hiring Vicki to do up a nice new page for me, but I can’t even seem to get the time to send her the email to make it so.

What’s up with time these days/years? Is this about having a little guy? Is that what it is? I don’t remember the last time I made a card — I don’t think it has been since the spring. I have a few things I wanted to send to people (I owe a friend a book) but I wanted to send her some cards too.. so I don’t ever mail it off because I’m waiting for that magical time I’ll have an afternoon to craft.

We’re doing a few projects around the house - taking over the basement. That is code for “putting Everything in the basement and then feeling like we cleaned”. Then I watched Horders and put about seven boxes full of stuff outside. This is how I purge. If I put it on the back porch, the boxes get dirty so I know I’ll never bring it in again. Then I either move it into bags (the stuff itself is clean) and donate or recycle or turf.

I wonder how many people can be seen wandering around their homes with a bag of random things in the half an hour after Horders is done airing?

In other news, my new cars make me have happy tingles - still. It is very awesome. Now I just need some magic car-washing fairies to come over. Please?

Strange things happening

Jenn — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:20:20 +0000

So I’ve been a little off the radar lately. Probably most of you heard about the little 3 year old boy taken from his home in southern BC earlier this month. That totally f’ed me up. Seemed to kick my PPD anxiety issues into full-gear. Then, in one weekend, so much changed. He was returned. There. Home. And while people are asking all kinds of questions, all I really care about is that he is home with his family and not hurting.

I have also been working like crazy. I took two contracts this term in my eternal quest to find out if someone might actually just HIRE me as a regular employee. In an interesting twist, I’ve reached the end of week two and seem to be hitting a strange OTT stride in keeping on top of it all. I think when you are this busy something happens and you just don’t worry about minor things since you don’t have TIME to worry about them (here I’m talking about the floors and the fact that laundry will never ever see the inside of the closet this term. Wash it, hang it up to dry, grab it from downstair when time to get dressed. Unders, socks, and bras kept in basket in the playroom next to washer.

Malcolm is settling into his new room. I, as always, have issues with some things - but in all I think they’re good. I just feel that they stress skills that aren’t necessary yet. If he were 4 or 5 and going into kindy, that would be different. But he is three. In all, this has led to me saying things like “you know what, I think he can just bring his teddy to school if he wants to” in that mom voice. You know that voice, right? I am *that* mom. Tough thing is that we don’t have any big daycares for 3y olds. Everything switches to “preschool” and I think that is lame. In all, his room is great and their “preschooling” involves such things as running through water in the play yard, painting, dancing, dress-up, and trains. It was the cutest thing ever, though, when he came home the other day and said “hey mom, bonjoo means hello.” They’re learning a few french words. So now he’ll starting singing little songs in french and saying bonjoo to his bears.

And, in the biggest change of them all, I am now an auntie. I’m amazed at how much seeing little tiny baby Hazel brings back all those days to me when we first had Malcolm on the outside.

Two Worlds Collided

Jenn — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:42:44 +0000

(Name that band for bonus cookies)

So here I sit on a lovely warm Tuesday morning, and I waffle. I have five boxes positioned strategically around the house each half filled with STUFF. I have an old vacuum on the back deck. I have four bags of books and toys in the back of the red car (now we have two cars, they are named by colour). Yes, summer purge is in full swing.

But see, tomorrow is first day of classes and I’m kinda teaching full time at two different schools so that is a little more… demanding than usual. You know, because usually I’m such a calm cucumber when it comes to planning and getting ready for school. So I am at my computer trying to finish up prep for the coming term.

Then I get distracted (I see a random knick-knack that no longer needs to live in my house) and I go over and put it into one of the many handy boxes. I empty out a kitchen cupboard and consider if the three year old oatmeal I bought for that one month I was eating oatmeal is still good. Or even if it is good, would I eat it?

Then I come back to my computer and plug in one more document to one more folder for one more class.

Then I think that the backyard looks really nice with the light breeze and the … overgrown grass and DEAR GOD I MUST MOW IT NOW!

I’ll either be super productive or you can check with me in five hours and I’ll be watching my PVR’d episode of bachelor pad.

Not Broken - Just went on Vacation

Jenn — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:26:15 +0000

I’ve been offline pretty much since Tuesday and, you know, it was kind of nice. I checked email long enough on Thursday night to find out that someone had BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME FOR TWO DAYS! But, well, sometimes people go away. And I think it is good to have some days nobody can reach you. Especially from work.

I’m obviously online now, but not doing any work things until Tuesday. Malcolm and I are hanging out tomorrow (that means we’re vacuuming up all the shedding the cats did while we were away and buying fruit and other such necessary life items) while Jim is at his Workshop. Tuesday is real life again. And having signed out of Real Life ™ for the past week, I have it on good authority that it is carrying a big stick.

I’m still kinda broken for blog readers

Jenn — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:33:05 +0000

So if you’re trying to follow me with a reader, I guess it won’t work. I’ll keep fiddling around (that is a lie, I have no clue how to fix these things and I’ll just keep hoping The Force fixes it) and see what happens.

My Analysis of Bachelor Pad Two (shaddup, I like crap TV)

Jenn — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:49:54 +0000

Since we were MIA for episode one, I’ll jump in with this week’s show.

Doesn’t Ames still look like he just got punched in the head and is kinda doing the dazed grin all the time. But seems to be a nice guy.

I did NOT see that coming with him walking back, pausing, thinking, doing the little wave, and then running. It was really really sweet and I might have gone back and watched it twice… maybe.

I don’t know Melissa as I didn’t watch that season, but I do feel for her. Blake made kissy face and then headed back to the house to flirt with Holly. It is so very very high school. I know he was all “a woman that age acting that way” but if she thought he liked her and she thought they had a connection then it seems to follow that she’d expect it to carry on at the house. Plus, do they then spend the night on the boat if they get the rose? (Or wherever they are.) Now with all that said, when she started going off about having to recover after that one epiosde of her season I figured she had a frequent fligher package on Crazy Air Express.

OMG I’m read to kill Kasey and Vienna. Kasey’s dillusions have been fed by Vienna so now he actually thinks he is all that plus a bag of chips. He thinks he is a player, he thinks he is badass, he thinks he is the Godfather. HOLY SWEET MURPHY!

Kasey is that socially awkward guy in school. But he developes some bravado to get through it all. Then suddenly someone gives him positive strokes (talks to him at the locker, tries to help him fit in a little better, invites him to a party) and suddenly that bravado turns into DICKHEAD. I can just remember times when I’d feel bad for someone at school because they were getting picked on, but then once they felt like they had any power at all they’d be assholes since they either thought that was how everyone expects powerful guys to be, or they were always secretly an asshole deep down inside, or because they were so messed up from being bullied and shoved in lockers that their brains can’t handle now being ‘popular’ even though it isn’t a real popularity.

If those three guys and girls from last season batchelor pad were on the show this season Kasey would be locked in the outhouse. This season was specifically built without power couples so we could watch Vienna and Kasey act like fools. And I’m pissed that the other normal(ish) people there aren’t coordinating themselves to get them out. I think Gia left because it was like bad high school all over again. But this time it wasn’t the jocks and cheerleaders but the band geek and his weirdo girlfriend who (deep down inside) you believe might just cut you if you say anything to her.

I love love love that Chris called Vienna out.

Notice how when they are the bachelor and bachelorette they get treated with respect (I mean, they are treated like full on humans and as representatives of the show if they are the central person, and the potential mates are treated well if they are seriously in the running…) but once they go to bachelor pad they are fodder for mocking by the show. It is like “hey, you decided to be on our version of Big Brother and are no longer running for royalty - you are now drama llama ratings my friends: sleep around, be a douche, be insane, we LOVE IT!”

Jim and Vicki Fixed my Blog

Jenn — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:04:36 +0000

I’m so glad. I’ve really really missed my blog. And all of you. While I have many of you on FB, it isn’t the same. I think more and more about the limitations of those silly little status updates and how much MORE I want to say. Also, with teaching so much these days I’m aware of the importance of having my own space that is just my close peeps. You all. I did a little purge on FB, but in all it is just a larger kind of space and I’d never use it like I use my blog.

With all that said, I’m not sure I’ll keep hosting my own site. I just don’t use it enough for me to think my whole OWN site is worth it. But then I imagine a day when I’d have the time to start using all the space I get with this site. And then I think about sleep. That is where I’m heading now.

Flying Solo

Jenn — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:20:09 +0000

Jim is currently somewhere up in the air about halfway to China right now. He’ll be gone for four weeks, and I may have already started counting down until he is home. But at least for the first 1/3rd I hope I’ll be okay. Leone is in town right now, Julia arrives tonight and stays until Tuesday, and Melly arrives Wednesday to stay with me for a week.

I’ve mapped out cleaning plans, babysitting plans, work plans, and emergency calls to my mom plans. I’ve also recorded seven half hour episodes of Toopy and Binoo. Not because Malcolm needs more of these for himself, but because I’m a leeeetle less likely to go weird if I can at least circulate through a few different episodes.

Thankfully I’m only teaching one class right now, so that is three days a week. Still a busy work schedule as it is a shorter summer session done in six weeks, but not quite full time.

I’ll go ahead and call this a lucky one too: but I’m not pregnant this month. Yeah, big surprise. Of course I’d take the extra work of being on my own this month while preggers if it actually meant I was pregnant (duh) but I’ll take the chance to count it lucky that I can scoop the cat litter and won’t be ill while Jim’s gone.

What I need to work on while Jim is gone: eating well. I will eat “healthy” since I know that will help me stay sane, but I have this crazy thing when he’s gone and I just eat one thing for a day or two. I have to fiddle about with what I give Malcolm (rather over-the-top picky stage right now), so then I end up doing something like making a fruit smoothie and eating only fruit smoothies and toast for two days. When Jim was away earlier this term teaching (er, he taught two super-fast three week classes for May so he was teaching eight x 3hrs per week and staying over rather than doing the 1.5hr commute) I had two days when I ate cheese, crackers, and salsa for five meals. What? Whole grains, light aged cheddar, veggie packed salsa! I then had a side of broccoli (I actually just made up a whole huge pot of broccoli and then ate that as a meal) and fruit smoothie for breakfast.

Today it has started already. I made a fruit smoothie for breakfast, and then had it for lunch too. They are just so handy: 3-4 kinds of fruit, plain yogurt, soy milk, greens, protein powder, flaxseed.

Moral of this story? Who else can some and stay with me? If you are here, I’ll cook for you and everything. I’m so much better cooking for others.