Overdue Post

I am way overdue for a blog entry.   Like usual I've been meaning to blog but haven't had time at work and it's been rare for me to turn the computer on at home.    Sadly when it has been turned on during the past week it's been associated with grading tasks.   

Spring Break was OK.   It wasn't anything wild or crazy but it was nice to step away from Ankeny for a bit.   I should have done more work and grading but oh well.   It was nice to visit Grandma again and see her doing better from my original visit earlier in the month.  I guess I got a little wild and crazy in that I drank alcohol again.   I'm not getting any of the reactions my dietician warned me about so that's a little odd.    On the other hand it's nice to know I can enjoy a drink at dinner and still be able to drive myself home and not be immediately intoxicated.   

I found out today that I won the 2017 Lecturer Distinguished Service Award.    I'll receive the award formally on April 25 and I get a $500.00 stipend too.   

I started the advertising and hiring process for Summer Youth Fitness.    I'm not real enthused or motivated yet but need to get the ball rolling on those tasks.   Sigh.

I finished the American Gothic series on Netflix.    I had remembered some episodes from the 90s but not all.    When I watched each DVD, the order of the episodes seemed a little goofy and I found out they aren't in the correct order.   I only get a couple DVDs at a time from Netflix so I had to watch them in the wrong order.    I still got the gist of the series and it was decent for a TV show with low budget horror effects.

I saw "Table 19" in the theater with some friends.    Very good movie.   The main male actor was a weird choice though.    Not sure who he is but he didn't fit the role very well.   

I thought I had more to write about but now I'm drawing a blank.   Whoops.  

March 1, 2008

Greetings:

Just a few things to report on!

I was able to take part in an orientation tonight for Central Iowa Shelter Services.   I became interested in their program at the end of last year and made that into a New Year's resolution.   Unfortunately I wasn't able to find an orientation to fit my schedule until tonight.   It was only an hour but really informative.    They are aware that I can only help a few times a month but more frequently in the summer.    Areas that I may be helping with:

• food pantry
• hygiene counter
• clothing closet
• kitchen
• front desk

They are also excited that I'm in Ankeny.    Many restaurants in the area donate their food at the end of the day or when buffets close.   They would like more restaurants in Ankeny to donate their food and I could be someone to transport it to the shelter.   (Another perk of having an SUV)

They still have to run a background check on me and see how I fit into the schedule initially.   They will also let Gavin accompany when I volunteer.   I think having him come and help will give him perspective or could even help him consider some career paths too.    

I did find out some interesting information during the orientation:

• it is the only Central Iowa shelter that allows single women to stay overnight; the other shelters only allow for married women (domestic violence) and women with children
• it is the only shelter that allows people to stay overnight in any condition;  it was started in 1992 when 5 homeless men froze to death in Des Moines after being turned away due to intoxication.  I admit that makes me a little nervous that people could be drunk or high but they always have employees available to deal with issues related to substance use or even mental health concerns.
• They have 150 beds available each night and always have overflow.    People have to spend the night sleeping in chairs in the lounge area or sleep while seated in the dining room.   The number of people they help each day is staggering.   I'm also surprised with how many veterans we'll be helping too.

The other neat thing that has happened recently is that I went through my 'old' clothes again.    The bags have sat in my bedroom since I came back home from Christmas.   I am now wearing a pair of jeans I haven't worn since March 1, 2008.    I know this because I found a ticket stub from a movie in the pocket.    It was a blind date!   A date that wasn't great but I had forgotten about it completely.    I had only one pair of jeans to wear  for the longest time so it's nice to have two now.   I found more dress pants that fit too.    I have other jeans that will fit soon, just need more time.   

I have also received a king sized bed.     It's currently lying on the floor in my dining room.    I need to re-organize my storage locker to see if I can get my full-sized bed to fit in there.   I'm not sure if it will fit in their even if I rearrange items. I'd like to keep my full-sized bed for a spare bedroom in the future.    Things are just cramped at the moment.   Dan's mom gave me the bedding for it and extra bedding too.   So I have bags of linen sitting around too and the clutter is starting to make me a little nutty.   I am hoping to work on the storage unit Friday night or during the day on Saturday.    Fingers crossed.

My grading tasks at work have sky-rocketed.    I'll be spending Saturday on my computer too but this is normal as midterm is approaching.   One of our head PE professors is moving to Louisiana in June.    I'm less panicked about it as it sounds like the department can adjust.   Just poor timing with other hiring that's taking place right now.

I guess that's it for now!

  

It's Been a Good Week

I am so happy it's Saturday.   It was a very busy week but everything went well.    It was the start to Swim & Gym.    It was the best start I've ever had with the program.   The program is full.   I still have two kids on a waiting list and I'm contemplating whether or not to add them to the program.    All depends if I hire another 1-2 life guards.   At this point I'm happy with the initiative and work ethic of my staff.    I didn't ask a handful of people back from the fall because of their laziness.

I've been very pleased with the amount of energy I've had lately.    This week's busy schedule made that more apparent.    I admit I feel super tired after workouts but usually get a 2nd wind.    I had a very unpleasant experience with working out on Wednesday.   I got through most of the workout but by the end (ab work), I felt awful.   I tried doing the cool down with the group but had to leave after a minute or so.    Totally felt like I was going to hurl.    I put 2 + 2 together though and realized I hadn't eaten enough calories in the morning.   It was my blood sugar that dropped.    I felt rough for awhile and ended up going home.    Eating did help but it took longer than I anticipated to feel better.  

I got a little dizzy yesterday at the end of the workout again but nowhere near as bad as Wednesday.    I have a check-up on Feb 15 so I'll mention the issues to them.   I'm sure they'll just tell me to eat more in the morning but that's tough for me.    I rarely feel hungry in the morning and after I take my supplements, it's hard to eat anymore beyond that.  

A friend of mine from Ankeny invited a bunch of ladies over last weekend for an "English meal".   It was delicious.    We all came over early to help her cook.   It was a roast (but different from the roasts/cuts of meat we typically serve in the US), Yorkshire pudding, mashed rutabagas,  baked/fried potatoes, and a sherry trifle.   She's originally from the UK.   She was actually a past student of mine when I was a grad student and in my first year as a lecturer.   Her husband is related to Scott Nelson's ex wife too which is weird.  I really liked the Yorkshire pudding.    They aren't dessert.   They bake up kind of like a souffle and taste like a biscuit.    I had to be careful with the trifle as it had sherry-soaked ladyfingers in some of the layers.     I'm trying my best to avoid alcohol until May.    Speaking of alcohol, it was very tricky to avoid it last night.  

I went to an Iowa Wild hockey game with the same friend and other acquaintances.    I rarely have cravings but seeing everyone walking around with beer, hard cider, and even strawberry daiquiris got very tempting.    No worries, I stuck to water.    It turned out to be the hockey game that calls attention to heroes so there were police,  EMTs, firefighters, etc. there.    They did a nice job honoring the five police officers that were killed in the metro last year.     There families, spouses, kids, etc. dropped the ceremonial puck for the game.    It was nice to get out on a Friday night and do something for fun.   Of course Dan's ex wouldn't work with us with his custody schedule so he wasn't able to join me.    

I had my taxes prepared this past week too so that's a nice task to have finished.    Dan used  my accountant this year too.    I'm getting the usual back which is always nice since it helps me with my diminished summer budget.    I completed Gavin's taxes for him too but did it online for free through Turbo Tax since he only does a 1040ez.    He already has his federal tax refund in his checking account.  

Gavin starts track on Monday so he'll be working less at Hy-Vee.   We still need to bop down to Des Moines and get his spikes.    I think I'm more excited than him about his running shoes.    He's still going to school early most mornings to lift and/or run.    He and I can now compare our woes about being sore.   Usually my quads and hamstrings are killing me since my flexibility is so poor.    This week my triceps are arms are super sore as I'm doing more upper body lifting.    It's another reminder of how much I talk with my hands when I teach because I'll find myself cringing in class when I'm lecturing and pointing.  

I guess the other big news is that I got my annual evaluation done for last year.    It was pretty lackluster.    I admit my motivation was low because it's fairly apparent that raises won't be happening for the next year or so.    ISU had a lot of money cut.     Either way, I completed it fully, included all my supplemental evidence for performance, and turned it in on time.   I did procrastinate and wait to finish it on the day it was due though.  

Time to return to some laundry and other tasks around the house.  

February Update

Life is getting busier so it's nice to have a weekend where I'm primarily staying at home.    The first part of the semester is always a tease because I have some free time here and there.    Now that courses are underway I'm feeling more swamped.   The main culprit is the start of Swim & Gym on Tuesday.   I need to do some more prep work for the program.   I had the orientation for the employees on Thursday.    

Classes are going OK.   Having 90 students in one of my classes is a bit much.    My PE course has been more fun compared to past years since it's easier for me to exercise with them.    We are doing bowling activities next week so they are prepped to teach bowling if a school offers it.    

DMACC is going OK too.   My Monday night class fortunately is going well and everyone is receptive of the information.   In the fall, I had a student that liked to argue with me almost every time we met about health information.    

I am using the department's Exercise Clinic most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.   It's an interesting set-up.    Students that want a career in exercise science or personal training work with people in the clinic.   One of our graduate students works with myself and one of the secretaries.   She's been my workout partner for about a month.    She and I are younger than a lot of the participants and can handle more strenuous workouts.    He's done a good job challenging us.   We are doing more with plyometrics, medicine balls, kettle bells, etc.    My coworker was injured this past week though.   She's likely going to need an MRI to figure out if it's her patella or her ACL.  Boxes jumps can be dangerous.    I'm being selfish and hoping she can continue to attend the exercise session as having a workout buddy has been very helpful.

I've been somewhat keeping up with Netflix:

Boulevard:  It is Robin William's last or close to last movie he made before he died.    It was about a guy living a boring, married life and is secretly gay.   It was interesting to see him in a serious role again.    His acting was great but the movie itself was meh.

Foxcatcher:  a true story about Olympic wrestling brothers and a nuts guy that tried to coach them.    I didn't realize it was a true story until I started watching the movie and looked up some details online.   It was disturbing to see the "coach's" mother issues and his psychiatric issues too. 

The Divergent Series:  Allegiant:   I'm actually glad I didn't see this third movie of the trilogy in the theater.   I'm told it deviates a lot from the actual book.   It was an OK story but rather predictable from the get-go.

I still have "The Loft" to watch.    It's about guys (married) that have an apartment they use for affairs and a dead woman ends up dead in the loft.    A murder mystery usually turns out pretty decent.

I am starting "American Gothic" as well.   It is a TV series that started in 1995.   I remember liking it a lot as a kid and the early episodes are pretty decent since it touches on horror and the supernatural.  I'll have five more discs in the future to go through all the seasons.  

I guess that's it for now!    

Fairly Dull on this End

Greetings.    Week 2 of the new semester.   Both ISU and DMACC didn't have classes on Monday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. observance.   I got a lot of domestic duties done over the weekend since I barely ventured out with the questionable weather.   Gavin and I did make a quick trip to a furniture store and he picked out a birthday present.   He's been complaining about his comfort in his room when it comes to sitting and watching TV or playing video games.    We found a good deal and bought a glider/swivel chair.    It comes with an ottoman too.   It's backordered though so I can't go back and pick it up until January 25th.    He also wants to pick out some Steelers apparel too.  

I am now participating in the Exercise Clinic in my department.   One of the secretaries approached me at the end of last semester asking if I wanted to exercise with her over the noon hour on MWF.   The professor that runs the clinic is letting both she and I participate for free.   It's a little bit of a pain as I have to hurry at 11:50am when I'm done teaching and get to the locker room and change.   She and I usually do the group warm-up, do our own cardio, do our own lifting, and end with the group cool-down.     Starting this week, students in an upper level class will start working with us.   Some of them want to be personal trainers.   Some want to go to PT school.    It's nice to have consistent physical activity/exercise each week.   It will balance out well because I have Swim & Gym starting soon on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it's exhausting.    I don't think I could do both the clinic and the after school program on the same day.

I'll be switching to my next set of braces on Thursday.   I'm not sure if I'll pop them in right away in the morning and be sore at work or wait and put them in at night.   I'm not wearing them enough at work.   I'll admit that.    I need to buckle down and wear them when I teach.   It'll get easier to speak if I keep practicing.

I've been bowling twice in January.   The bowling alley in Newton is actually pretty decent.   I'm going to see if Dan wants to go again this Saturday.    It bums me out that many communities don't have bowling alleys anymore.  

One of my coworkers gave me a bunch of jeans to try since I only have one pair that fits me.    Sadly she and I are not built the same way and none of them are working for me.   Bleh.   Thankfully I have a couple pair of dress pants that wear well.     I can wear athletic pants on Tuesday and Thursday too.
I thought I had more to report on but my title is true.   It's been fairly uneventful.   I'm OK with that!

Changes to the Start of the Year

Well I thought I had my facts straight the last time I blogged but there have been updates.     I was basking in the glory of having Monday evenings to myself and jinxed myself.   Apparently my boss DID put the Personal Wellness class on the schedule for the spring but didn't feel like mentioning it to me.    I feel she thought it wouldn't have high enough enrollment and would be canceled but as of today, there are ten students enrolled.    I was sort of a jerk about it and said I wanted to be properly paid for picking up another class with little notice.    I reminded her and administration that I was asked to teach in a similar fashion last semester (little notice).    It's a two credit class so it's difficult to say 'no' to the money and I'm basically prepped for the class as I taught it last semester.

So I'm teaching three classes for DMACC:  two online and one in-person.   Same schedule as last semester.

I'm teaching three classes at ISU plus one independent study.   I have two sections of HS 275 (90 students total), a PE course, Swim & Gym (two students are taking it as a class), and an independent study for another education major.    I had forgotten that I had said yes to the independent study.   Whoops.   I still have to oversee the grad students too.   Sigh.    I am cracking down on the amount of help the grad students need.   I did way too much "hand holding" last semester and I'm done being that type of crutch.

I started the Invisalign process last Thursday.    I was swayed to do the process as my front, left teeth are super crooked.   My crossbite is also causing me pain too.   I tend to clench my jaw when I'm concentrating so by the end of the work day my teeth usually ache.   I did some checking with my dental insurance and had a decent chunk of money to put toward orthodontics, so what the heck?   I'll be changing my retainers every two weeks.   The main discomfort is under my tongue as it continually rubs against the edge of my lower retainer.   I'll be dealing with retainers for about 14 months.

I saw the surgeon for my post-op six week check up.    It was a very short visit.   He checked to make sure I didn't have any surgical issues with my incision areas.   He was happy with my weight loss.   I didn't have much to discuss with my dietician either.    I can basically eat anything now as long as I eat food in the correct order (protein first) and keep the portions small.  I'm also taking all my supplements now too.  

Morning:  multi-vitamin and calcium

Mid-Day:  calcium

Evening:  calcium and B-12

Prior to Bed:   iron

Update on the volunteer process:    I am doing an orientation at the end of February.   It was the first time I could make it work with my schedule.    Most of the orientations are in the middle of the day which makes me wonder if a solid number of their volunteers are retired.   I guess I'll find out.  I guess if I do the orientation and am suitable, that also allows me to bring Gavin with to help at times too.   I'm hoping he can come once in awhile too.  

And in the spirit of a new semester:

Welcome 2017

I am very happy for the start of this new year.   Gavin and I had a great trip to NE Iowa and today was back to work, for me anyway.    Back to school for Gavin!   He gets to miss part of tomorrow though due to an orthodontic appointment.  Whoops.   I have my six week check up tomorrow too.    I'm a little nervous because I don't think I lost enough weight in the last couple weeks.   I'm curious to see the body composition readings though because my clothes are fitting entirely different.   The number on the scale may be more hesitant to drop but I think my fat mass is still changing.

At this point, anyone I wanted to know, knows about my surgery.   The last person I need to tell was my Grandma and I did that on Sunday.   She responded differently than I expected but responded in a positive way.    She didn't seem too surprised and didn't have many questions.    She did make a cute comment about me looking different before I even told her about the surgery.   I did OK with the Smith Christmas feast.   I only got one plate and got very small portions of the hot food.   My main mistake was the cake.   I should have never eaten any cake but hey, if there is a boob cake on your table, you eat it.

The only thing that bummed me out about the visit up North was the lack of sledding.    It just never fit into the schedule.   I never found out if Mom and Dad actually have sleds either.   The board games were fun.    It was a bountiful Christmas and everyone was wise with their gift choices.  I hung up my calendars today.   I took down all of the Christmas decorations yesterday too.   My next big task is to look through a box of items I took out of my Fusion in October.    I'm not sure if anything needs to go back into my Escape but a lot of it needs to go back to my work.    I've collected a lot of stuff from past health fair events and they need to be stored in my office, not my vehicle.

I got a lot of work done today...all my syllabi are done for both ISU and DMACC.   I caught up on emails too.   I had a handful I couldn't reply to until I was back in my office.   I have a presentation to create for Thursday when I lead a meeting and that's about it for this week.    I get to sit in meetings from 9am-4pm on Friday.   Yippee.   All of my DMACC classes are online this semester too which is nice.   I'll have my Monday evenings back again.  

Let's talk resolutions.   My main resolution for the new year is to volunteer more.    I have applied to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Des Moines.   They are flexible with availability so I'm hoping to help once a week, maybe more often when my work/parenting schedule allows.   I want to do something that keeps me busy in a helpful way and gets me out of the house.    I didn't choose a health-based resolution.   If I decide to help the shelter, I'll do an orientation in February.

I guess that's enough of an update for now.   I'll send an update next week after both semesters start up for ISU and DMACC.