I'm random, thanks for asking.

1) How is your year going so far?
Pretty well. Moved into my new house. We've had a few days of precious rain this week.

2) Have you gotten vaccinated yet? If not, when do you think it's likely to happen?
No. I'm probably way down the list of people to get it.

3) Are you bored or are you busy these days?
I'm finding things to do after work. I'd love to go out more, but that isn't gonna happen.

4) Is this pandemic good or bad for your finances?
It's been good. Less shopping, less to-go food. The new house definitely means spending money but I was able to save a lot more all the months prior. So, I had money for closing costs, getting the place painted, and movers. Plus still some, which I plan to get some sort of entertainment center with.

5) What are you missing most these days?
Going wherever I want, whenever I want. Going to multiple stores to find what I need, browsing at the bookstore, wandering the mall, etc. Even just taking my time at the grocery store.

1. Have you ever been in a hurricane or typhoon? Which one, when and where?
2. Have you ever been near an erupting volcano? Which one, when and where?
3. Are there tornadoes where you live? Has a tornado come near you?
4. Have you experienced severe flooding? When and where?

Nope to all of these. We had a pretty severe monsoon storm I think in 2009 or 2010, like the worst one in the 15 years I've lived here. So many trees came down, and power was out in many parts of Phoenix, including my school. The school that was inside and had no windows. Yeah, that was fun.
In 2013, we had flash flooding where it rained all night, and half the streets were flooded. I-10 was flooded downtown. I somehow made it to work, but could have got stuck in a puddle pulling into my school's parking lot. That would have been hilarious.


5. What is the most extreme weather you have ever experienced?
Arizona summers. We're having a record for number of days 110 or higher, but this still isn't as bad as a couple of years ago when it hit 120. They had to ground flights at the airport.

THE FRIDAY FIVE FOR 14 SEPTEMBER 2018: WEATHER EXTREMES
This Friday Five is brought to you by Hurricane Florence and yours truly.

1. Have you ever experienced a hurricane firsthand?
Nope. Never lived on that side of the country.

2. Have you ever experienced outside heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius)?
Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*breathes*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
I live in Arizona. It's over 100 pretty much from June through September and beyond. Last summer there were a couple of weeks (one in June, one in July) where we hit 120. 115 is not unusual. After that, 100 feels wonderful. Actually, anything under 110 we don't complain too much (as long as your AC works). It's the fact that nights only get down to the 80s that makes me dislike the summer. Right now we are in a streak of days around 105. Yes, in mid September. Granted, this summer was milder than other I've experienced in my 13 years here, and we had several days here and there when the high was 98 or 99. However, we can see days over 100 into October. We do have that wonderful dry heat though. July and August are monsoon season, when humidity averages around 40%. There are days when it's REALLY hot and humid, which usually means it rains after sundown. I've been able to sit outside during lunch and not roast, which is lovely.

3. When and where was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced?
Um, something in the teens (*F) when I was in a snowy place. I don't know what the actual temperature was.

4. Is your household prepared for a possible power outage of two to seven days?
Nope. Need the AC to survive. In the winter, I would be okay.

5. Do you have a go bag?
Nope.

For the last Friday of August, let's take a look back on the Summer(or Winter for the other side of the word) that Went Way Too Fast (at least to my way of thinking).

1. So, how was your summer?
It was 80% great, and 20% slightly stressful. Great because this was the first summer in 5 years that I was not busy preparing for a new school year. That also meant I did not spend a ton of money on stuff for my classroom. I also got a proper vacation going to a resort in Mexico with my mom and sister. However, I did not end up going to the Bay Area as usual. The stress came from job searching. Thankfully, I got one and start on Monday.

2. Did you get everything accomplished that you wanted to?
I found a job, finally visited Globe again, exercised regularly, and baked a lot. I wish I could have gone to CA, and I only read one book.

3. What would have made it better?
Not worrying about the stupid AC leak, and being able to turn the thermostat down below 79.

4. What would you have like to be able to do over?
Less time online, more time reading books. Even checking a few more new shows off my Netflix queue would mean I accomplished something. All I got through was maybe a dozen episodes of Parts Unknown, the documentary Jiro Makes Sushi, and I re-watched most of Once Upon a Time S3.

5. Was it hot/cold enough for you?
June sucked with it's 110-118 degree days. First half of July was okay. I don't know if the monsoon humidity has been mild or that not being at work has made me less aware of it. I think I complained more about the heat this summer than I ever have, but the AC worries will cause that.

As I sit here in my hoodie, I really appreciate the ~2 months of cold weather we get here. Cold as in 40s overnight, and 60s or low 70s during the day. Ok, low 70s are warmish but you still wear a sweater. We also had several days in the 50s, which was bliss. By February, it will be more consistent 70s weather. April may hit the 80s, and May is officially hot again. June has a few spikes; July and August just suck. SUCK. It makes me sad just thinking about it. But, no, I will appreciate the cold while I can.

I probably should have done it a while ago, but I finally put poor Jane the betta out of her misery. She's had a tumor for a couple of months now. She still swims up when I feed her, but she looked terrible. I hated to do it, but then again, why make her suffer.

I may not get a new betta until after I get back from CA. Unless tomorrow I suddenly NEED another one...

It's pouring out. Been raining for 2 days now. This is just strange for Arizona. Ok, not, but rain this consistent for more than a day at a time makes me forget where I live.

Summer has sprung. Spring was maybe 3 days. It's now in the 90s and air conditioning is necesary. Sigh.

ETA: One week after this post, it was cold and rainy. Bzuh?

Pantry staples:
onions
garlic
canned tomato products (diced, sauce, paste, Rotel)
rice
pasta (any type)

Today I adapted Pioneer Woman's pasta alla Marlboro Man. I was trying to make something using the Roma tomatoes I'd bought yesterday. Last weekend my adaptation of the Rice-a-Rini meal flopped, I think, because I added way too much rice. Today's pasta is good, though the super-lean ground turkey will be changed to ground beef next time. My goal is to eventually use fresh tomatoes as much as possible, though I don't know if I could do without canned paste. Forget taking hte skin of the tomatoes first, too - too much work! I also want to learn to make more meals that involve meat besides ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken breasts. Beef stirfry I can do, but it's still easy. Steak I've done twice ever. Ever. Beef stew once also.

Right now, the AC is off and the window open. It was 85 degrees earlier with a nice breeze. All the cooking has warmed the place up a bit, but I'll take a day like this as long as it'll last.

One week of work down, 195 days to go. Same crap, new year. Feeling ok so far; my students are not trouble makers and pressure from the top hasn't come down yet. Just ye wait. In a month or two, I may want to quit again.

Valiant, but not in a good way
One of the vocabulary words the class was mapping was "valiant."  Part of the assignment is to draw a picture showing what the word means, and one girl drew me and a boy in the class, J, who is rather outspoken.  I asked why it made me valiant and she said no, J is valiant because he's not afraid of you. 

Did you, did you?
I have a ticket system this year, and every Monday I open my store where students can spend their tickets.  I've told them to write suggestions for items they'd like in the store, and I got 2 notes so far.  One of the boys, R, asked me a couple times over the week if I'd gotten the items he suggested.  He was very polite, and I assured him I had his list and would look for his suggestions.  He just made me smile. 

Um, it wasn't an option. 
We spent a week on a writing assignment, where I made sure to teach conclusions since I usually don't get around to that part.  In their plans, the first thing they did was write the topic sentence and the conclusion, copied from a list they could choose from.  Fast forward to yesterday when I'm collecting the final draft papers.  I look at one paper, and ask if the girl is finished.  When she said yes, I asked where the conclusion sentence was.  She very innocently answered, "Oh, I didn't want to put one!"  Kids, kids, kids.  It was in your rough draft, silly, all you had to do was copy it! 

Because I have so much free time
I finished The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, by Syrie James, on Wednesday, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Last night I bought Shirley since I found it in Penguin Classics paperback.  I'm partial to Penguin versions of books.  So many books to read, so little time, and so many other things I ought to be doing!

Perplexing
Last night while walking across Tempe Marketplace to meet Jen, I found myself a little freaked out by all the families with children playing in the fountain area.  Then I wondered why I get weirded thinking these strangers have too many kids but my friends with children (Jen has 3) don't bother me at all. 

More "Only in Arizona" things
Only in Arizona are you excited to stand in the rain, in the middle of a shopping center.  Only in Arizona do you not completely care that the lightning is flashing about you as you stand in the rain.  mysterygal11 , I think you would have gotten used to the weather here had you stuck around longer. 

Flashes
Little things all over remind me of my dad.  They don't make me sad, just make me think of him. 

Attitude may not be everything, but it's a hefty portion
I'm determined to be more positive this year, and not stew in worry and anxiety.  It's really helped in class.  Instead of getting angry, I just wait until they are listening or issue a consequence.  There's a lot of prayer going on as well.  Some is just to myself, and some is when Susan comes over in the morning to pray together.  It's doing a whole lot for my sanity, to be sure. 

July 10th marked 4 years since moving to Arizona. I always forget the exact date, thinking it later than it really is. It's still hot here, but I'm slightly more used to it. I feel like I've been here forever.

Listened to some FOTR bonus features earlier, and now I'm listening to Jane Eyre. Ahh, I love these movies.

/random

I should go to sleep, so I'll be ready (ha ha) to work on my classroom again tomorrow.