Laurie's journal - Atkins plan (comments welcome)

[LAinSEA]

For Chris:

Tilda has said that I need to clarify her efforts to control the rodent population--she is not just a lazy housecat. She views mice inside the house to be her problem and the mice under the house to be daddy's problem. She has caught and killed a mouse in the house when daddy unknowingly brought in the house inside a bird feeder he was fixing. She has also dispatched moles when they were trapped but still kicking. Niko kills all flying insects if they get in the house and will take on a spider if meomy screams very loudly. So it is unfair to blame the pest control issues on the cats (in Tilda's opinion).

DH has now re-sealed the cracks around the foundation to keep more from getting in, put the bird food into a big rubbermaid container, and has bought and set more traps. We have discussed the disposal of said dead rodents and he agrees that the woods is the place to send them, not the garbage can (since the garbage man left the mice in the bottom of the can!).

I am so sore from weeding most of the day, that I don't know whether or not I'll sleep tonight or be able to move tomorrow. Much more yard work to do still. I have school work to get back to as well for Monday.

Foodwise, on plan...ribeyes, mushrooms, & BBQ corn on the cob for dinner. Ham sandwich on wholegrain bread for lunch. Breakfast was an iced soy/breve latte w/sugar-free white chocolat syrup. No snacks.

 

[Cruise04]

Oh, can I come to your house for dinner tonight???? Sounds yummy.

And our cat LOVES flying insects. I heard this noise a few weeks ago and was like what the heck is Candi doing. I run into the dining room where she was and she had climbed the window, that was closed mind you, going after a fly. I was about to kill her but I was laughing so loud. She looked at me when I called her name, hanging from the window frame, like uh, oh I got caught.

Hope you have a good week!!!!

Keep on
Chris

 

[LAinSEA]

I just cannot seem to catch a break.

UOP is denying my student teaching placement for fall...it has been one excuse after the other, the latest--my supervising principal doesn't have a Masters...he has two Bachelor degrees. The teacher education specialist (after I'd given her the information back in May) did not talk to the district HR representative for ST placement until last Friday afternoon. They have moved my final three classes out to January and say that I have to find another placement. I want this placement, I have been reading and writing lesson plans for this placement, and UOP will make it difficult for me to gain employment in my home district if I can not fulfill the placement for this fall. I'm in tears because I'm so frustrated. I feel like the only alternative for me is to find an attorney and sue for repayment of my students loans by UOP. No other graduate program will take the UOP credits and I will have to start over.

Funny how last week they were all hot to have me re-apply for federal student aid--although I have the money in my savings account from two re-fund checks they have sent me this year and last to finish paying for the program. What kind of a scam are they running here?

I have worked so hard to do well in this program, prepare for and pass the Praxis exam for language arts (and social studies on Aug. 6th), and be ready for this student teaching assignment. I don't want to continue working at FSN through this fall...they are already forcing me to turn in my resignation. My last day will be Sept. 2nd and I'm sure the exec. producer (SOB that he is) will not let me stay on until January.

I guess the only good side to this is that I've lost my appetite completely. Will to live will probably be next (tongue in cheek...don't get all worried on me).

 

[DoeWDW]

What are those UOP idiots trying to do - drive you crazy????? Give me a break!! Tell them exactly where they can shove those hoops they want you to jump through! Can you possibly find the name of the department head at UOP or someone else higher up in the chain of command? A well-placed letter might get the underlings to see things your way. I'll keep this situation in my prayers, Laurie - I know how hard you've worked for this. Don't take no for an answer!

Have I mentioned that I love the Tilda & Niko stories you post?? They sound like such wonderful kitties, with lots of personality!

Hang in there, Laurie! You've just got to keep going for a bit longer and then much of this UOP and FSN stress will be behind you. You can do it!

 

[LAinSEA]

Doe - thanks so much for your kind support.

It has been a very stressful and wild week and I now have to do some follow-up to join the WEA (Washington Education Association) as they were a great deal of support this week.

I had to push buttons, turn over my email and phone records to prove that I had submitted info on time and that UOP had not received this info as they bounced me between counselors. I had to contact an attorney (or two) but in the end, I believe it was my records and the fact that UOP doesn't support its students in seeking student teaching placement that got me through this. I really did not want to involve the district in the legal hassels (no school district wants to be involved in any legal action...) and it looks like the only snag that still needs to be worked out is that my principal does not have a Masters in Education admin - he has two Bachelor degrees which is good enough for the district to have him be a 4a school principal but not good enough for UOP. They will have to send out a facilitator to do my final evaluations if someone in the school or district is not available.

Throughout this whole process, I kept insisting that being accepted to student teach is a privilege (a rare one for a student from a program that has not taken it upon itself to build a relationship with a school district as is practiced in Washington). Now I just have to work out the time frame. I still plan on beginning with the first day of school, Sept. 7 but there is some discrepancy when I finish my assignment. UOP says it will be Dec. 7 and I believe it really should be through the end of the 1st semester (Feb. 2). Strange they cannot get their facts straight. The class that coincides begins for me in mid-October so go figure. I wanted to make sure I was in the classroom from the beginning of the school year.

I have my social studies Praxis to take this Saturday...and I haven't been able to do much concentrated study for this test as yet. I've got one more week of this class to get through with a large assignment due next Monday.

Foodwise, mostly on plan but I've been also eating a fair amount of fresh fruit. Exercise, what is that? Stress should burn calories, right?

We saw my parents and the nieces off on their trip to Orlando last night. They should have arrived early this morning and met my sister at the airport. She gets to join them for the week. They are staying at a Sheraton condo complex closer to Universal and Sea World than WDW. I wish I could have gone with them. They fly home through Salt Lake and Tracy and the girls will get off the plane there and my folks will continue to Seattle. Nicole, the girls' stepsister (sister's latest husband's daughter) is staying with my parents until the Univ. of Washington starts up the end of September. She is a great help and is looking after the cats and home in their absence. She's been working part time at a medical office filing records and doing other administrative work this summer.

DH has been so supportive through this whole mess. His own boss gave notice last Monday and he has had to take on a lot more projects and responsibilities. I believe he has a great opportunity to become the new IT coordinator (his boss' position) if he wants to apply for the job. I'm trying to be supportive of whatever decision he wants to go with as I understand from first hand experience that middle-level management is usually all responsibility and little or no authority to really make things happen. But you have to start somewhere.

 

[DoeWDW]

Laurie, you get an A+ in my book for true grit and determination! You're gonna make it through, no matter what roadblocks or obstacles are put in your way! Sounds like you're well on your way to clearing all the hurdles and starting school on time and with all your ducks in a row. Bravo!

Best wishes on the SS Praxis this Saturday. I'll be sending up prayers and sending many positive thoughts toward Washington state.

Once you are firmly entrenched in your teaching job, you'll have summers off and can look forward to many happy days at WDW and with your nieces and extended family.

Not sure whether to wish Jeff good luck with moving up or not....you're right, middle management comes with some major headaches. I think I'll just pray that God leads him in the right direction.

Hang in there, dear Laurie!

 

[Cruise04]

Sorry to hear of your recent problems with your student teaching. Hope things get worked out and everything ends up fine.

Keep on
Chris

 

[LAinSEA]

Good news - I got an official email from UOP that I will be doing my student teaching starting on Sept. 7 (through Dec. 9 but really I will be there through end of first semester to teach the journalism class ending Feb. 2). I had to move up my class schedule so my next course begins tomorrow for 6 weeks and then no breaks except for 2 weeks at Christmas until Jan. 23rd. I hope I can take it. I'm finished with my last large assignment for this course but I'm still tweaking and refining until I have to post it later tonight to the class folder and online portfolio.

DH will apply for the IT manager position but they listed it for just $1 over what he making now. For that kind of stress, he's not sure he'd want it if they offered it to him. If he is the right one to take over the responsibilities, I'm sure they have room to negotiate.

Exercise, I got in some gardening yesterday (and I'm sore) but nothing else. I have a dental appt this afternoon, OB/GYN appt on Wednesday. I want to change the BC pill prescription to hopefully the same one I was on for the study if possible. I'm not happy with the Levilte product at all.

Foodwise, mostly on plan, very small portions, not much appetite lately with all the stress.

Thanks Chris and Doe for you support. Now how about another hour in the day?

 

[DoeWDW]

If I COULD find another hour in the day, I'd at least share it with you - half an hour for each of us!

I'm so so so happy that UOP has come to their senses!!

You've got a few more tough months to go and then smooth sailing.

I'm crossing my fingers for good marks on the SS Praxis!

 

[LAinSEA]

I got into see my OB/GYN Nurse practicioner today and got a sample of the what was the study BC med. It is now called "Seasonale" and once I'm through with the rest of this packet of Levelite I'm back on something that hopefully will help me feel better.

Interestingly enough, the nurse said that she had picked up several of us who had been on the study and we all had been prescribed the Levelite and not one of us has been satisfied with it like the study meds. I'm not the only who has gained weight and feels crappy. I have to go back in on Sept. 1st for the physical (before I lose my coverage as it was too soon for my insurance to pick up the physical for this year). My BP was 105/85 and my breathing was not good due to asthma earlier this week. I'll have full bloodwork done as well then also. I will have to make the effort to get back into walking and I've been encouraged to workout with weights as well.

Eating - low carb/low fat SB style in extreme moderation.
No exercise
School is already out of control - I have an assignment due each day now through Monday for the class I began yesterday! I'm going to be not getting much sleep tonight after work as writing literature reviews is a bit out of scope for getting done in a busy, noisy control room. Participation is one thing, serious papers are quite another.

DH is putting the finishing touches on his application and updated resume. Two more coworkers encouraged him to apply for the manager position yesterday. He feels so strange after all the time he was off work and couldn't even get an interview and now he's been in this position just since March and he's had to take on so much responsibility and is looking at a middle management position. I know that he is quite capable of doing a really fine job; he is so diplomatic and puts project concerns well over his own political concerns.

My folks got back from Orlando last night but I've not spoken to either of them yet. I did talk to them Monday night after they'd been at Universal Studios all day and Allysa had to tell me she stuffed her shoes to get on the Mummy. She was so excited and wants me to go on it with her next time (and she should be tall enough for the other big rides too by that time). I don't know when that will be as we are signed up to do Maui next August before they head back to school.

Doe, keep looking for those extra hours!

 

[LAinSEA]

I felt so terrible this morning...guilty, frustrated, angry at myself. My dad called and said he and mom were heading over to pick up my grandma for a picnic and wanted to know if DH and I would like some company. I had to tell him that I'm buried in school work, DH is still working on our taxes (due on Monday and yes, we prepaid), and my house is a complete mess! I couldn't clean it up in time for a visit.

Here is it evening and I'm still buried in coursework, taxes are still not done, and the house is still a mess. And its hot, hot, hot!

Well back at it.

 

[DoeWDW]

Hang in there, Laurie!

Look for an email from me by 12 noon (eastern time), which should be 9 AM your time, I think. Your survey is first on my to-do list this morning.

EDIT: 11:50 AM eastern time
I sent a PM with Chris' answers and another PM with Steph's answers. It's readily apparent which one of them is a deep thinker and which one just lets life flow. Thanks for the opportunity to chat with them about their thoughts - it was an eye opening experience.

Best wishes on your paper!

 

[Cruise04]

If I could find another hour in the day for you, trust me, I'd split it with ya!!!!!! ROFL You did want to share it right!!!!

Keep up the good work and sorry that things are still a bit stressed for you. Hopefully it will smooth out soon!!!!



Keep on
Chris

 

[DoeWDW]

So happy to hear you got a perfect score on your paper. Quality always shines through! You're going to make such a great teacher because your mind and heart are both in it.

Sending good thoughts your way today, dear Laurie! May you be blessed with one of those days where you accomplish much but the tasks seem effortless and the time is there to do all you need to do.

 

[LAinSEA]

I've yet to drop a course and start over with it, but this may be the one. I was up until 3am working on yet another paper and then back at it at 8:30am to do revisions (it was over word count but I had to get it in before I left for work today...I won't be home in time to post by deadline because the facilitator insists we all go by eastern standard time...don't argue about it being daylight savings time still...so frustrating).

I've asked for specifics on some assignments we need to get a jump on for our team and I don't think this facilitator has a clue what she is supposed to be asking us to produce...the course is on assessment so the lack of specifics is especially challenging. If any course should have specific requirements outlined--it should be a course on assessment!

Arrggh! Foodwise, except for two night of popcorn (I need to crunch while I stew over what I'm supposed to be writing), I've been on plan. No exercise except shivering in the overly air conditioned control room.

I put in my "official" notice yesterday afternoon (yes, I wrote a short, nice letter). The next two weeks I only work 3 days as I had to take vacation to attend the teacher retreat, orientation and then go back to the OB/GYN on Sept. 1st. I really thought hard about calling in sick today as I have plenty of sick leave to use and I won't be compensated for it. It's just a plain hassle finding someone to come in on a Friday and I may need to pick up shifts once I'm through with this program to help pay the bills.

DH got his application in for his old bosses' job...it is a big we'll see. He's had to take on all the responsibility for it in the interim and he's not sleeping very well with all the stress either. Only the cats seem to get plenty of zzzzz's but not necessarily when we'd like them to be sleeping.

Enough for now! Thanks again Doe and Chris for your support.

 

[DoeWDW]

Laurie, just keep swimming.

On relaxation.com there is some streaming audio of relaxing sounds that may make you feel better as you work. Right now, I'm listening to water lapping on the shore. It makes everything I do seem a bit easier and my shoulders don't "hunch up" as much since the muscles are more relaxed. Maybe it would help you too.

Do what you can to keep the stress-monster at bay, sweetie, and just keep plodding along. The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight.

 

[LAinSEA]

I'm in migraine city today...and I'm hoping that this isn't becoming a trend. I did do my yearly OB/GYN physical today and we talked about the headaches and will watch if they seem tied to meds (I just switched back to what was the study medication last Sunday).

The past two weeks have been lots of meetings to get ready for the school year. I was sent home from our junior English dept. meeting this morning because in their words "you look pale." I was only an hour away from leaving for my doctor's appt. so I didn't feel too terrible about leaving. My supervising teacher and another collaborating junior English teacher will email me later with all the decisions on our first literature unit.

I work tomorrow evening--last day. I don't really want to go in but I do need to get some documents off the network there so I guess that is good enough reason to go. I am so very tired right now in trying to turn my body clock from swing-shift worker to early mornings. We have to be to school at least 45 minutes before the first bell rings at 7:40am. However, if you aren't in the parking lot before 6:45 am, you are stuck behind the busses coming in and will barely end up there before that first bell. Perhaps the best news (or maybe not) is that my favorite coffee stand is not on the way in and finding a different one is sort of out of the way if I want to stay on the back road (the quickest way to school).

Class work is piling up and I'm waiting for answers on my assessment interview questions from one teacher who said she'd do my interview for me but couldn't do it yesterday and then she was the one today who thought I looked like I might pass out. I need to revise a paper and then revise our team's Objective tests for submission this weekend. Then just two more weeks and a great deal of work and done with this class and into the student teaching course.

Student teaching will be a challenge. I love my supervising teacher but she is very in-the-box organized old-school. I'm someone who is used to being very out-of-the-box when I teach and very flexible. I hope to learn a great deal from her on how to be organized. (Her colleagues are hoping that from me, she will be willing to expand on her use of hands-on activities for her students and vary her top-down style of instruction. She will have to learn to trust me and I'm just iching to dig in and get to work.)

I'm going to take a break and then hopefully, get some school work done. Then go by the pharmacist and take care of some errands and laundry before bed tonight...sleep cannot come soon enough.

 

[DoeWDW]

Laurie, best wishes for your last day of work at the station.

I'm keeping you in my prayers for strength as you head down the homestretch. I'm worried about you though. You've been burning the candle at both ends for a very long time and I fear you're run down. Did the doc order blood tests, especially for iron count? I know it's hard to eat low carb and be anemic but it can happen. Are you taking a good quality daily vitamin? The mom in me is showing, isn't it?

Please put rest at the top of your priority list, OK? Adjusting to school life will take a physical, mental and emotional toll on you that your body will need time to respond to. If you need the caffeine boost, find a way to the coffee stand. You can give it up later when you're more settled into your new way of life.

I can't wait to hear how it's going at school. I think your student teaching assignment sounds challenging but I'm betting it will work out very well.

Best wishes!!

 

[DoeWDW]

Sending good vibes your way, Laurie, and hoping all is going well at school. I'm sure you are being very challenged and adapting to a whole new environment. It will take some time until it feels like a place you truly belong. Hang in there until things settle down and don't feel so strange anymore.

 

[Strings]

Hi laurie,

I hope the headaches are stopping. How is your student teaching going? I imagine that it is a mix of excitement and a bit of fear and excitement. This may be when it really hits you that you have made a major change. It is a fbulous one, but a change nonetheless. It can be stressful. Take extra good care of yourself. You will be a great teacher.
take care,
Beth