It Is Done!

It sounds like I just ordered a hit on someone through the mafia and they completed the job for me but my entry actually relates to my application to be advanced to a senior lecturer.  

Fingers crossed.

I feel a combination of relieved, happy, sick to my stomach, and exhausted.    It would be nice if the negative feelings would fade away so I can enjoy the rest of my Friday. 

Shortest entry ever!

Procrastination is My Middle Name

Greetings:

As my title states, procrastination and even prioritization has been an issue in recent weeks.   My application for promotion is due at the end of the week and I have SO much work to do on it.   Sigh.   But to be fair, I've also been working my butt off on grading too.    I almost wish I had waited to apply for promotion in the spring.

Other than being buried in work, life is pretty good.   Home life seems more relaxed since Gavin is done with football.   He lifts after school on most days but it's still easier to pick him up and transport him now.    I had to guess when he was done with football on many days which got irritating very quickly.   I am still waiting for his PSAT scores.   Anxious to see how he does on that type of testing since he should be thinking about the ACTs soon too. 

I am so ready for next week.    ISU is closed all week and I need Monday and Tuesday to catch up with work.   DMACC is technically in session Monday-Wednesday but I gave my online course a work week for a handbook they have to create.   I am hoping to be able to go to NE Iowa and not bring any work with me.   Who wants to grade on their birthday anyway?

Things are going very well with Dan too.  It turns out that I need someone that is as quirky and goofy as me.   Tomorrow is four months since I've met him.  It truly seems longer which I take as a good sign.  I am hoping to introduce him to some family now at the end of 2015 or as 2016 begins.  He and I went to see "The Martian" and it was a pretty decent movie.   I still plan on reading the book some day.

Gavin and I are doing a good job of plugging away through our Netflix list of movies too.

"Rendition":   Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Withersoon.   Women's husband is detained as a possible terrorist.   It was OK and kept my attention but I'm not a huge fan of that type of movie.   It had two story lines and showed how they were connected by the conclusion of the movie so that was neat.

"Wish I Was Here":  Zach Braff (Scrubs) is the main character about a family struggling with money but also dealing with a terminal cancer situation with a grandparent.   It had interesting comedy and I did really like it.

"Boyhood":   I was really surprised by this movie.   It won major awards.   It really doesn't have any famous people in it.   It follows a boy's life from like 5 years old until college.   As Gavin and I were watching it, we were wondering how they found actors that looked so similar as the boy ages in the movie.   Turns out the director used the same kid throughout the movie and took 12 years to create the film.   No wonder the kid continues to look the same as he ages.

"Men, Women, and Children":  we actually saw the preview of this before watching "Boyhood".   Adam Sandler and Jennifer Garner are main characters.   The foundation of the movie is on technology and how it affects relationships.   I was surprised by the nature of the sexual situations but in the long run, it made sense to include them in the movie.

"Birdman":  I was intrigued about this movie as it was supposed to win a lot of awards and I hadn't seen Micheal Keaton in a movie for a long time.   It's centered on a broadway show and an actor struggling with the decrease in popularity.   It alludes that he's a super hero (Birdman) as that was his first acting gig and was super popular in the 90s.   It was rather confusing at times and was WAY too long.    Don't bother with it.

"St. Vincent":  It was nice to see Bill Murray in a movie again.   It was pretty funny but there were serious parts too.  He ends up babysitting for a single mother and helps the boy cope through a divorce situation.   He's also dealing with his wife dying from Alzheimer's and his own health problems too.

"The Giver":  the book is better.   Decent job with trying to relay the message from the book but definitely liked the book better.   Jeff Bridges did a great job and most of the acting was decent.    I guess they tried making this book into a movie since the 90s. 

"John Wick":  I was interested to see if Keanu Reeves was still a decent actor since he's not appearing in many films anymore.   The film was excellent but had a very sad beginning.   It's like "Kill Bill" but with a male lead actor. 

"Whiplash":  This movie was up for major awards so I added it to our list.   It's about a man going to a post-secondary music school that focuses on jazz.   He is striving to be a great drummer.   The main teacher (the dad from Juno) is a very difficult teacher and some awful things happen in the movie in regards to deception.   There are scenes where the drummers have to practice so much their hands bleed.   Yikes.

"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas":  I wished I had read the book before the movie but reading for pleasure isn't doable at the moment.   It was a good movie with a sad ending.   It relates to World War II.  It turns out that some of the wives of German officers didn't fully know what was happening in the concentration camps.   The movie shows one of those wives realizing what is happening at a local concentration camp and their son never fully understanding the purpose of those sites.   I assumed that everyone was in the loop in regards to the camps' purpose so it was an interesting perspective.

"Gone Girl":  I saw this in the theater and wanted to see it again for the heck of it.   Gavin thought it was good and really twisted...because it is.   I still need to read the author's second book. 

"A Million Ways to Die in the West":  The dude that made Family Guy created this movie and it was actually pretty funny.   Lots of crude humor though.  I liked it more than I thought I would.

"Sex Tape":  Cameron Diaz movie.   It was 'meh'.   Another one of those sexually-based comedies that tries too hard.    Moral of the story:  don't film  yourself having sex with your Ipad and let it automatically sync to "the cloud".

Don't get me wrong, we aren't sitting around just watching movies.   Some movies are from September and October.   We are currently waiting to receive "Babel" and "The Constant Gardener".

I've been working on this for two days.   Time to finally hit 'publish'.

Yawn

I'm not sure what is going on lately but I am consistently tired.  I'm relaxing and taking it easy in the evenings and still feel pretty wore out in the evenings.   I even go to bed early but sadly I usually don't fall asleep quickly.   I have one more class to teach today and I'm honestly looking forward to going home and taking a nap before I pick up Gavin from football. 

My need to hibernate later is a great transition into my next topic.    Time for some tattling on myself so I can hopefully get myself back into gear with good choices.  

1.  I am not being nearly active enough on a regular basis.   On most days I do hustle and move a lot at work but I'm pretty sedentary in the evenings and on weekends.   The approaching winter weather isn't going to help that.  I am hoping to play some more tennis before Mother Nature interferes.

2.   I am eating out way too much which is bad for the waistline but also bad for my budget.   I did some thoughtful grocery shopping yesterday which is going to promote more meals being made at home.   A cranberry pork loin is on the menu for an upcoming day.    I cancelled my Weight Watchers subscription.   With my budget, I don't see the logic in handing them money each month.  

3.  I am not reading for pleasure anymore.   I have so many books sitting around (sorry LeAnn) and need to start reading a couple again.   The sad thing is that I do really want to read them but I just don't have the mental energy on most nights.   And if I do have a lot of energy, I usually devote it to grading.  

And finally, I'll end with some good news.    I am pretty pleased with how I'm handling my workload and organization with both jobs.   Now I do have a buttload of grading to do all the time but I feel pretty calm & collect when it comes to starting each week.   I'm doing a good job of coming in early or staying a little bit later on most days to work on "extra" tasks so I'm caught up or slightly ahead with some of my duties.  

I guess that's all for now! 

Yippee It's Fall!

I am very happy that it's October.   I love this time of year.   I need to make more time to enjoy the weather as well as fall-based activities.   I want to visit a local orchard one of these days.   I just never remember to stop by it when I'm driving home.   I'm also bummed because you cannot pick your own apples anymore.   I'm a weirdo and picking your own apples is fun.   I'm excited for Halloween at the end of the month too.   I didn't do much with the holiday last year because I was in such a funk.   I actually decorated this year.   It would be neat if I could go trick-or-treating with Dan and his son(s) but that hasn't been determined.   I miss having a young kid for that very reason.  Never mind Tooth Fairy duties and Santa Claus, I miss picking out his costume and taking him out for candy.

Work is going OK.   There is an ebb and flow of workload.   I made some good headway over the past weekend and into this week.   I'm taking a break from grading at the moment because my brain feels fried.   I can't be fair and accurate if I can't think straight.   I'm surprised I'm making sense in this blog.   I am doing some different things in my health classes at ISU.   The big change is that I no longer have a midterm exam or final exam.   I'm only using quizzes throughout the semester.   Both are methods courses and I thought that more interactive and pedagogical-based activities would be logical in class time and for grading purposes.   I wrote some quizzes today too and that's another reason why my mind feels like mush.   DMACC is going OK.   Many of my students aren't doing squat in my online class so they aren't going to like the midterm grade they earn.   Plus if they haven't been active in weeks, I can still remove them from the class.   I have to finalize all that over the weekend.   I taught a few weeks ago for the Red Cross but I'm not doing much for them.   I have an online training with them next week.    I was told I was needed to teach some classes in November but they are no listed on the assignment calendar.   Shrug.

Things with Dan are going very well.   They are going very well with little to no work.   It's been an odd mindset because I spent years thinking like this:

"A, B, and C are wrong with this relationship.    What do I need to do to fix those issues?"

It's an odd mindset because I'm not in continuous repair-mode.   It was bad enough back in the day when I was the only one putting effort into repair mode.    Not having anything to repair is dandy.   I've spent more time with his kids.   I'm still nervous about my presence with his 13-year-old son but interactions so far have been fine.   Hanging out with his six-year-old is a piece of cake.

He's been working a lot...I'm talking major over time which is great for his financial needs.   It works out well too because my hours can be intense on some days too.   It's been fantastic seeing someone that enjoys their line of work too.   He's passionate about what he does.   He enjoys helping others and is selfless about it.

Needless to say, my relationship status will be changing soon on my Facebook page.   I'm taking my time with the process.   I am honestly tempted to change it on November 4 since that is officially a year since a difficult but necessary change happened with the previous relationship.   (Dan suggested that and it's growing on me.)   Either that date or on my birthday.   Shrug.

Today is Gavin's last football game of his sophomore year.   It's been an up and down season.   He's been decent in most games.   The team as a whole struggled with their offensive line and defense for much of the season.  He'll continue to practice into November with varsity but it's unlikely he'll play in any remaining games.  He got another academic award for his high GPA and surprisingly lettered in academics too.   The assembly was during school this year which bummed me out.   He acted like it's no big deal anyway.

I think that's it for now.  I need to teach in 30 minutes.   We are doing a mock "Pharm Party" in my health class.   Yes, I'm officially one of those weird health teachers.   Weird teachers are more memorable anyway.

Another Blog Will Come Soon...

The laptop is currently being fixed and a new blog will be posted within the week.    I was correct in that my hard drive took a dive.   It pays when you son is friends with the computer shop owner...got a 20% discount.   :)

In general things are going well.   More details later!

Another Semester Has Started

One week down at ISU and about the same time completed for DMACC.    I feel the first week went relatively well.   I am still behind with prep work though but that's the norm.    I'll make good headway and immediately have more tasks to work on so it's a constant game of catch-up.   I need to accept that I guess.     My elementary-based health class and elementary-based PE classes are going well.   I am struggling with my secondary-based health class.   I've had many of the students in past classes and it's difficult to get the motivated about the content.   Most are seniors too so I'm not sure if they are in "just get me through these last classes" mode.  

I am only teaching one class for DMACC and right before the semester starts my boss hands me a new edition of the book.    I have to go through my guiding questions for every chapter and make updates.   Would have liked the book in maybe June (when she first got it) so I had time to work on those tasks early.   And of course I have a handful of students not participating in the course yet which is normal.   I get to kick out students this week though if they aren't active.

The orientation I run prior to the semester at ISU went fairly well.   Most of our new TAs are proactive and absorbed the information well.   I have a couple that are struggling.   One is new to the country so I understand he is getting acclimated to how things function on an American college campus.   The other should be able to handle everything but she just seems horribly disorganized and all over the place.   She's older than me and it seems odd that I need to give her strategies for organizing herself better.

Things are going pretty well with Dan.   It's honestly nice to have fun again with life and be social.   When I think about the start of the semester last fall, it's a complete 180.   I remember really struggling last year because my motivation was at zero.   I was unhappy at home and it seeped into my work life too.    It's nice to have a new energy.    It's nice that I know I get to see someone periodically that wants to hang out with me and looks forward to it.   As more time passes, I feel more and more stupid with staying with the ex for so long.   So many red flags that I ignored or just accepted.    It is true...there is someone out there that truly jives with your personality and outlook on life.   No one should sell themselves short.  

Gavin and I were in movie marathon this weekend:

"Chef"--a chef out in LA freaks out and loses his job.    He returns to Miami where the food truck business reinvigorates his love for cooking and food.  It also involves his relationship with his ex and his son.   Jon Favereau is the main actor in it...I can't remember why I added it to Netflix but it was decent.

"The Fault in Our Stars"--oh my God, what a good movie.   I did not expect to like it so much.    I do still plan to read the book.   Very sad story but told with appropriate emotion.   Great casting.

"Rudy"--an old school movie from the early 90's that I've been meaning to see since...the early 90's.   It's actually based on a true story.    Kid from a low socioeconomic status wants to go to Notre Dame badly and play football.   Doesn't go to college immediately after high school.   Ends up at a community college close to Notre Dame and transfers to the school of his dreams.   Gets to play in one game.   Great motivational movie.

"Godzilla"--I wish I had seen this in the theaters.    It didn't get great reviews but I did really like it.    It was an interesting update to such an old movie premise.   The special effects were pretty decent too.   As I watched the movie, I kept thinking the main female character looked so familiar.   It was Mary Kate and Ashley Olson's little sister that is also into acting.   She really does resemble them.

"Neighbors"--stupid, stupid, movie.   Don't get me wrong, I like my crass comedies but this one tried too hard to be funny.   I guess I'm not impressed by movies that center on marijuana comedy too.   (Other than Dazed and Confused)   Sadly I think Seth Rogan is going down the same path as Kevin James and will make crappy movies for a period of time.  

Just a mention to "The Sixth Sense" as I caught most of it on TV last night.   I had not seen that movie since it first came out.   I forgot how good it is.  

I also watched "The Crow" today too since I was reminded I owned it last night.    I forgot how much I liked that movie too.    I am tempted to buy the soundtrack on Itunes.   I used to own it on, umm cassette, and honestly think I listened to it so much that it broke.  

The month of September will be relatively low key.    My paychecks in August sucked and that's an understatement.   I don't have any fun money or extra money so we'll have to appreciate the simple things until the end of September.  I am grateful my car payment has dropped a bit each month since I paid extra in previous years.

That's enough of an update for now!

Vacation Time!!! Ha Ha Ya Right.

I'm technically on vacation this week and next week.   Yet, I just finished an online training for the Red Cross.   And I taught a babysitting course for them yesterday.   Time off, ya right.   I have a training with them tomorrow too in the frick'n evening that I'm not happy about.   I had much better plans for the evening that have to be postponed now.   Strike 100 for the Red Cross.   I cannot wait to resign from that organization.  


I am impressed that LeAnn continues to read.  I need to get back on a schedule with reading since I have several books sitting around in my bedroom.   I'll give some feedback about some movies though since Gavin and I are trying to be diligent with Netflix.   I also saw "Trainwreck" in the theater and was pretty pleased.    I don't think it was as good as "Bridesmaids" but I did like the serious parts of the movie and her humor jives with mine nicely.   It was nice to go to a movie while on a date too.    I couldn't have seen that movie with Gavin anyway...super awkward.  


Movies from Netflix:


"Salt"---Angelina Jolie movie about Russian spies and shenanigans.   The plot twist was pretty good.    We both liked it.  


"Anchorman 2"---not sure if I've written about this one, sorry if it's a repeat.    But that being said, maybe we all need another reminder about how blah the movie was.   It was not a good sequel.  


"Blue Jasmine"--honestly added this to my list because it won awards so I figured it would be OK.   It was very boring.   The main character is struggling because she's lost her lavish lifestyle after he husband is imprisoned and she is single.   It's supposed to be one of those stories where she learns a lesson about selfishness I guess but really doesn't.


"Transcendence"---I really liked this Johnny Depp movie.   The evolution of technology and the loss of control makes the story a little scary.   It was done very well though.  


"Noah"--I had held off on seeing this for years because of the mixed reviews.    I can see why some religious groups were not happy with the story.   I do feel it was accurately depicted though in terms of Noah having survivor's remorse and struggling with his mission from God.   It was rather long but I liked it in general.


"Pearl Jam Twenty"--I first saw this by accident on VH1 one night and for some reason really liked it.  I wasn't even a Pearl Jam fan back in the day but after learning about the backstory and history of the band, the group has grown on me.    I could honestly watch this documentary every month.    Weird I know.


"The Railway Man"--This movie was added because Colin Firth is a nice actor to look at and I like his other movies.   It was actually based on a true story.   The main character was actually a POW in World War II and he's struggling with PTSD.    He goes back to his prisoner camp to get revenge but ends up forgiven one of the main men that tortured him.   Some parts are very difficult to watch considering what was done during torture but a very good story in general.


"Maleficent"---Yes another Angelina Jolie movie but I was curious to see how the "Sleeping Beauty" story was depicted from the villain's point of view.    The ending was done very well, I don't want to give it away if others want to see the movie.    Of course Maleficent's anger stems from a man being a jerk.   Go figure.  


We are pretty excited to see family this weekend.   It will be fun to celebrate Mike's wedding.   I doubt anything will get too wild.    I'm also looking forward to the upcoming Czech Days activities too.   Always nice to see so much family prior to a new semester starting.  


I am still seeing the new gentleman that was mentioned in a previous blog entry.   His name is Daniel but goes by Danno.    I find myself calling him Danny or Dan though.    Still trying to figure out what to address him by.   He actually came up to ISU with me today so I could do a few things in the office.    I've really never had coworkers meet boyfriends.    I think Jon went to one Christmas thing for work and many people commented they didn't remember what he looked like.   It's nice to be seeing someone that is genuinely interested in what I do for work and wants to attend future social activities with me.    It will feel odd not trying to "sell" or talk him into going with me.   He works at the Lutheran hospital in Des Moines and helps kids/teens with behavior and mental concerns.    Very commendable work considering how stressful and trying that type of sociology work can be.    I'm sure the more I continue to see him, the more I'll reveal in this blog.   Baby steps.  


Ok, this is officially long enough now.   Time to find a funny phrase or picture.