I'm random, thanks for asking.

My boss is back! She was supposed to be back Monday, and didn't show up. However, she was there Tuesday and today. Yay! Though her being back means LOTS O EMAILS!

There was an awesome crescent moon somewhat low in the sky when I left for work this morning, and you could see the faint glow of the rest. I love seeing things like that.

Despite it taking 45 minutes to get home (rush hour and road work/detours), I get to see some pretty awesome sunsets. Now, I need to figure out how to get my iPhone camera to not change the coloring when I take photos of the sky.

I just finished off the pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie. Yum!

I am going to do my online stuff and then put ornaments on the tree. I need to be productive and not sit here all night.

Friday is happy hour after work, and Saturday I invited people to go to dinner for my birthday. 4 yeses so far. I'm doing really low key, and it's all good.

Yesterday was my dentist appointment. I was not looking forward to getting the flossing lecture again. Well shoot, I must be doing something right, and it's not flossing! My numbers for gum recession were the best ever! I am used to hearing lots of 4s, a couple of 5s, and I'm sure there has been a 6 or two (8 is the worst). Nope, all 2s and 3s, and I think two 4s! I was in shock. It was also time for annual x-rays, and no cavities! I was worried about a new sensitive tooth but when the dentist poked around, no pain at all. BOOYAH. The dentist made a passing comment about flossing, but nothing from my hygienist.

I have a haircut appt on Tuesday. I'm debating whether to let it keep growing until it reaches my shoulders, 2-3 more inches. It's starting to get unruly and flip outward at the bottom, not under. Since it's longer, I'm also going to ask about maybe coloring the bottom half. Temporary color, and maybe dark blue.

I thought of it earlier, then got distracted as often happens. Boss wasn't there the past 2 days, and so I sort of relaxed. Today I didn't do whole-group reading. Instead, more time was given to writing and grammar. Trying to figure out how to teach 2 very different math skills to different groups is still a challenge, but I suppose it will get better. I'm still pulled in 29 directions, it seems. However, the folders we set up yesterday for what to do when they're done are really helping. Also, we rearranged the room, and now I can move around more easily. So many teachers are so overwhelmed and going into survival mode. I'm trying to be as effective as possible given my circumstances. I still don't have math books. I know, long story, don't even get me started on that.

Enough school talk.

My friend Jill is going to be a grandmother soon! She's flying to MD tomorrow and is just thrilled. Found out a teacher I know is in the hospital with an infection related to her past hip surgery, so praying for her. My friend Allyson set up a Myspace music page. Was falling asleep at the keyboard so I put in Sense and Sensibility 2007. Got through barely half of it. Decided to go to bed at 930, but remembered I needed to post. So, I have and now I will go to bed.

I dread tomorrow and the marathon grading day it will be. I'll have to plant myself at a coffee shop to get as much done as I can.

Going to California, going to California, going to California! *does a happy dance* I'm not entirely sure why I'm excited. Vacation, family, friends, Peet's coffee, Togo's sandwiches, and Lake Tahoe. I could have gone somewhere exciting, like New York, but instead I chose to go to my hometown. Cheaper, I guess, and Lake Tahoe! My sister and I will go there the last 3 days of my trip.

I really need to finish packing.

Monday, three of my friends/coworkers (the 4th grade team at my old school) went on a shopping road trip. We piled into my car and drove 300 miles across the desert to the outlet mall in Cabazon, CA. Yes 300 miles. Susan and I came up with the idea long ago, and when we mentioned it to the others, they were game as well. Why so far, you must be asking. Well, the outlet mall is pretty big, and they have some high-end stores you can't find any closer. Specifically, they have a Coach outlet, which was our major destination. A Kate Spade outlet too, where I was very tempted by a few purses. However, it was a really good deal at Coach, and a lot of egging and nudging by my friends, that made me cave in. I'm still a little in shock over my purchase, but I had sort of budgeted for it. Plus, I got an unexpected stipend today, which more than pays for the purse. So, yeah. Jill and Susan got purses too, and Larisa got a wallet, plus a purse from Fossil.

Along from all the shopping, we had so much fun. I brought a bunch of cds so they could play DJ and keep the music going. We made the requisite stop at Starbucks in Blythe, CA, which was also a time to get out and stretch. I've passed the outlets many times on my drives to and from CA, but I forgot exactly where they were, but they are right next to the freeway, can't be missed. I just got my city locations mixed up. On the way home we listened to Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge soundtracks, and they got to hear my "Single Music" mix. "Walking After You" by Foo Figthers is on it, and I thought none of the others would know it. As soon as it started playing, Susan went NUTS. She loves that song. Needless to say, I was happy that she was happy. Had to stop for gas in Chiriaco Summit, and paid $4.87/gal. We all agonized trying to remember who sings "Sultans of Swing" until Jill remembered, shouting out Dire Straits as we pulled up to the Starbucks drive-thru. The barista might have thought us a little crazy with our giggling.

I love road trips. I love my friends. It was an excellent day.

It was 12:30am, but still only 11:30pm in CA, where my friend lives. She was calling to wish me happy birthday, and also to tell me that she's pregnant. YAY! She's about 3 months along, which means she was pregnant during her visit here at the end of September, but didn't know it yet. Maybe it was wishful thinking at the time, but I totally thought, what if she walked out of the terminal with a little belly? So, my intuition rocks. Hehehe, the last of my oldest friends is going to be a mom!

I love you all. Really, I do. I love reading about your lives, I love the good, the bad, the ugly, and the excellent. I love that you commisserate/offer advice/give hugs/etc when needed. I love that I can totally be me, and I love that you are all totally yourselves. I may not always comment, but I always read what you write.

Just so you know, you make random internet girl over here in Arizona smile.

Greetings from California, where the weather was in the 70s! It's actually chilly and breezy at 1030pm, whereas last night in Tucson and Phoenix it was still over 100 degrees. Tucson had some lightning though, which I love. So, yeah, I'm at my mom's house, on the computer just like I would be at home. I have a few days of hanging out with family, plus a surprise party for a friend that I didn't think I'd be able to go to. I also get to play with my mom's dog. Whatever shall I do tomorrow? Perhaps go driving around and get my fill of TREES. The hills aren't green, but there's still more vegetation here.

Update on book choices: I grabbed Phantom of the Opera off the shelf one day, and have slowly been working on that. It's not actually that long, so I may finish it before I get back to AZ. I almost bought Children of Hurin and another Austen book yesterday, but held back. I have 2-3 books at home I should read before I buy another. I brought the teacher/classroom management book I need to read also, but I just don't want to deal with school. This procrastination will bite me in the butt later on, but it's SUMMER! I don't want to work!

I totally want chocolate.

Cleaning
Insatiable hunger
Craving chocolate
Vacuuming
Folding laundry
Ironing
Reading
Organizing
Swimming
Sweating
Maybe DVDing

:D

(Finally finished writing this a day later)

Three, if you count that I finally slept in as late as I wanted to today. I didn't have to get up at my usual work times, but I still had to be somewhere every day since school ended last Friday.

Ahhh, so yesterday I experienced two things for the first time. One was finally going to Mexico. Growing up in northern California, the closest I ever got was San Diego. My church always took the high school group on missions trips the week I wasn't on spring break. Shoot, I've been to Canada 3 times, and that's way farther away. On Sunday, Luis and I were chatting away, and he told me he finally has 2 days off. Since he had lived in Nogales for a while, and I had never been, we decided to make a day trip out of it.

On the way, we stopped at Picacho Peak, where there's an ostrich farm. For $5 you get a cup of feed for the ostriches and deer, and a little container of nectar for the lorikeets. A sign shows how to feed the ostriches, and claims they don't bite. Well, you get out there and big signs say they DO bite. They peck really, but have no teeth. Well, I held some food flat on my palm as shown, and they peck hard! The bird did pinch my hand a little. Man, those birds are scary! You can pour food into little trays but they attack almost before you get the food in. Too bad we didn't save any for the deer, which were way calmer and cuter. They make funny noises, and stick their tongues out wanting food. I wasn't able to get a picture with the tongue though. Next we went to the lorikeet house. As soon as Luis went in, one landed on his back and I totally freaked out. I finally did go in, and thankfully, no birds landed on me. They all liked him. We took pictures, which I will post later, bought a few postcards, and left.

Next stop was Tucson, or actually Oro Valley, at Luis's parents' house. We ate lunch and talked for a while. His parents are really nice, and his mom is a good cook. It's true, they totally spoil him. I love their house, and the dogs.

When you get past Tucson towards Nogales, the signs give kilometers instead of miles. Strange, but oh well. You can see the houses going up the hillside before you cross the border, and I don't know what is holding those things up. How they got a foundation in the side of the hill, or if they did, I don't know. We parked and then walked across the border. I swear, it was weird. To get in, you just walk through this turnstile gate, no one watching, no big deal. I had no idea where to go, so we just walked to where I could buy something. Ok, that's just about everywhere. The small, crowded huts, for lack of better term, were closer to the border. Since I just scream "tourist," they were all inviting me in to look at their wares. I didn't want to be rude, so I looked, and said no thanks to most of it. Really, there was nothing I wanted. After about 10 places, I finally looked at some bracelets, and bought one I truly liked. It's my souveneir of the trip, along with the pictures. Luis and I got all sorts of funny comments. The shopkeepers kept telling me that he was buying anything I wanted. We were refered to as honeymooners by one, and I swear another person refered to him as my dad (?!?). Afterwards, we walked further into town, to places Luis remembered. We ate at one little cafe; I ordered strawberry and banana creps but ended up with walnut plantain crepes. Plantains are ok, but not enough like a banana for me. I ate some, and about half of Luis's fries as well. My mango margarita tasted like frozen orange juice concentrate, but I still liked it.

Since we were on foot, we didn't get that far into town, but we did zigzag through several streets looking around. Luis kept saying how different it was, and pointed out places he remembered. The shops crack me up, with the variety of items they sell. Almost all carry the same things, and they are all packed with wares. On the way back to the border, we stopped at another restaurant, Kookarpacha's, with a nice outdoor seating area. I had a Coca-Cola Light, aka Diet Coke. The bottle was obviously returned/refilled from the wear marks. I wanted to keep the bottle, but didn't ask, so just left it. Walking back through the border, you have to declare citizenship. Basically, you just show ID. I guess beginning next year, you'll need a passport, so it's a good thing I went now.

We drove around Nogales on the AZ side, looking for Luis's old school, then headed back to Tucson, where I had my other "first." Ok, so there were several firsts that day, but this one is major: I got pulled over for speeding. I was crusing along somewhere around 85 in what I thought was a 75 zone. I saw the cop too late, which was after Luis pointed him out. I slowed, but he had turned around. Not sure whether he would come after me, since he had to let another car go by before he could get on the road, I pulled over to the right lane anyway, and sure enough the cop caught up to me. He asked me if I knew what the limit was, and I really didn't know, so I said 75, which was the last posting I'd seen. However, we had just gotten back into the Tucson area, so it changed to 55 somewhere. I gulped. He asked if I knew how fast I was going, and I sad about 80; he nodded then went to go write up the report. So, I'm sitting there, ready to take my ticket and wondering what my fine and insurance cost will be. I said to Luis, wouldn't it be funny if he let me off? So, the officer comes back and says that he's putting me down as 64 in a 55 zone, and giving me a waste of finite resources ticket. My fine is $37 and it doesn't go on my record or insurance. I was drop-jawed. He didn't explain why he gave that to me, instead of the $201 fine I should have gotten. My theory is that I cooperated and admitted fault, and/or I have a pretty clean driving record. My last ding was over 5 years ago. Whatever it was, I thanked him profusely, and was soon on the road again, with Luis constantly reminding me to watch my speed.

Not in a real hurry to get back, I considered calling mercuriehg but thought she might still be out of town. (Mer, we have to go to Eegees again!) Instead, we went to 4th street in Tucson, and stopped at a coffee shop whose owner goes to Luis's shop when she's in town. My vanilla au lait was pretty good, and it was nice to sit outside at the picnic tables. Around UofA reminds me of downtown Davis. The houses and little shops are similar, and a far cry from Phoenix and ASU. Afterwards, it was back to Oro Valley to give Luis's mom the vase he bought, plus pick up the Police concert tickets he's trying to sell. At last, we headed home, singing to the radio, talking about food, lack of time to cook, work, future road trips, etc. Even with the run-in with the law, I had a blast.

For those of you who have not met me in person, which would be about 90%, you are missing my charming habit of meeping. What in the world is that, you probably ask? Well, most of the time, it's an involuntary vocal response to a beeping sound, a car horn or other similar noises. I kid you not, the first time I did it was after some guy activated his car alarm. It beeped, and I replied with "Meep!" and my friend and I laughed hysterically. As I said, most of the time it's a response to a noise. The rest of the time, it's a happy little sound when I have no other words.

I just finished Jane Eyre, and I meeped. I did it a few times, actually. eek! I seriously LOVE that book. Like whoa. The wait till I can get the movie (and there's 2 or 3 versions that look good) is going to be awful. If anyone has seen any of the movie versions, please let me know which and how you liked it. holbytla, I already know which you prefer; right now it's top ranked on my list. I just hope Borders has it.

To read another book is almost a scary thought. Will the next book I choose, probably another period drama or classic lit piece, have me in raptures like this? Will I be bored? I need recommendations! Meep!

Yes, I am a dork, and darn proud of it!