Sunday Summary. I started the morning with a bowl of cold cereal and hot green tea. With the leftover boiling water, I made Jell-O. After searching and surfing the internet. I made an appointment for an eye exam. Last week some time, I feel asleep on my glasses. I tried to fix them, but my old glasses have a slight bend that won’t go away. Besides my glasses are about 6 years old. Lately, I’ve found myself squinting with them on, so it is time to replace them. I made the appointment for 4:30pm (same day) on a Sunday. Luv this internet.
I went to one of those national chains. After I arrived, I realized that it was the same place I had went to 6 years ago. How about that? A random selection turns out to be the same shop I went to 6 years ago. So, the approximate costs?
Frames - $99
Prescription lens - $100
Thin lens - $80*
Transition Lens - $80
* My eyesight is bad. Without the special thin lens, I would be wearing coke bottle eyeglasses.
Total - $363.00
I was told that my glasses would be ready in about a week.
After the eye appointment, I walked across the street. I was stopped and asked if I was interested in visiting a free art gallery in a former public toilet. I went. The artwork was priced at $200 to about $400. Mostly black & white photos. No, I did not buy anything.
Later, I went to my foster father’s place to pick up my mail. Since no one was home, I was in and out in a couple of minutes. Back home, I went food shopping (Tropicana, milk, frozen vegetables, Chunk’s low sodium soup, yogurt [sale 10 for $5.00], oatmeal cookies, and Parmalat [long shelf life milk]). I did my laundry. I managed to finish my lesson plans, and my Homework sheet. For dinner, I had leftovers. Oh, before I left for my appointment at the eye doctor, I cut my hair. My day turned out to be more productive than I thought.
Post Date - Saturday, May 5, 2007 6:28pm
Sunday, April 29, 2007
New glasses. I keep forgetting. I need to buy a new pair of glasses. My current glasses are about 6 years old. A couple of days ago, I fell asleep with them on, and I ended up sleeping on them. I was able to bend them back a little bit, but the angle is off. Everything is shown a bit off. It gives me a bit of a headache when I think about it. On Friday, I called the UFT to find out about getting a free pair of glasses. The UFT for those of you who don't know is the Teacher's Union. Basically, the union will provide a free pair of glasses in the price range of $75, or I can get a credit for that amount towards a new pair. My current glasses were about $300. I am thinking of maybe getting the cheap free glasses and having another slightly nicer pair of glasses. I ca keep the cheap pair as an emergency pair. At the moment, I only have one pair of prescription glasses, not including the prescription sunglasses. If my regular eye glasses break, I really don't think I can wear my prescription sunglasses. It would be like walking around in the dark. I don't know how celebrates do it.
I shouldn't be online now, but boredom got the best of me. I just checked my e-mail. Luckily, I've resisted the temptation to "go surfing". Yesterday I was online for about 5 hours. I did not get offline until about 5:10am. This morning, my plan is to be more productive than yesterday. I just finished eating breakfast (a bowl of cold cereal and a bowl of hot oatmeal & a cup of green tea), and washing yesterday's dirty dishes, and my hot air popcorn popper. I forgot to mention in my previous blog that I had a bowl of popcorn for lunch and a couple of crunchy granola bars. I used the granola bars as dippers in apple sauce. I needed to go food shopping, but I didn't. Yesterday, I was too lazy to even go shopping. I stayed home all day. Today's plan:
Now, to see how much I accomplish. Next blog entry...the results of my Sunday.
- Cut my hair
- Finish my lesson plans
- Make my homework sheet for next week
- Grade some papers.
- Do my laundry
- Go food shopping
- Visit my foster father (pick up my mail)
- Relax in the bath
- Iron my clothes for tomorrow
Now, to see how much I accomplish. Next blog entry...the results of my Sunday.
My DSL is finally online. It has taken so much nonsense. Well, was it worth the wait? Hmmm...
I am not sure. Here I am online at 3:19am. I got online at midnight. You do the math.
Well, another weekend of lofty plans and ideas, but in the end, it was just the same ol nonsense. I got about of bed about 8:30 with the plan of doing lesson plans for 2 weeks. But some how time just slipped by. I did not even get on the computer until midnight. I knew if I got online, I would have wasted the day and did nothing. As it stands. I did manage to do most of my lesson plans (for next week only). Tomorrow, I will have to do 4 more lessons (two each for social studies and science). I will also need to do a homework sheet.
So how did my day go. I organized a few papers, read last week's unread newspapers, and took about a 2 hour nap. About 6pm, I made some spaghetti with turkey sausages. I also zapped some spinach in the microwave. At 9pm I was planning to watch PBS comedies "Are You Being Served", but the pledge drive was on. I should have turned off the TV, but I ended up watching "Marty"on channel 13. Marty was played by Ernest Borgnine. I think the movie was from the 1950's. The character was a 34 year old unmarried guy, who everyone wanted to get married, but once he found a young lady, then his mom and his best friend did not like her. It was interesting. Sometimes I like to watch old movies. When I was younger, I used to like to watch a PBS series. I think it was called "Evening at the Bijou", it showed very old B&W movies.
Well, it is very late. Before I go, a couple of quick bits...
I found 7 dollars in the middle of the street walking from the Metro-North train station. I held the money in my hands for a while. If someone had came up to me and asked if I'd found that money, I would have given it to that person. Yes, I am one of those people who returns found money (if it is possible).
Cut and Paste Update.
The mother of the "chill out" kid, came to class. She said that she wanted to embarass/scare him a little bit. I was pleased that a parent tried to at least go through the motion of having high moral standards for her child. However, one the child's eyes started to tear up, she quickly takes him to the hallway to comfort him. And since his behavior did not change the very next day, I knew the "show of fear" was a waste of time. Oh, the mother is trying to get her son -- Yes Mr. "Chill Out".
Oh, and another classroom commentary/observation. I found out another student in my class has 6 siblings. I thought I had some news worthy information to share with my colleague, but she was not shocked or surprised. She has a student who is one of 8.
Exercise.
I will try yet again on Monday to maintain an exercise routine. On Friday, one of the Lunch Ladies commented, "Oh, you put on weight". I was supposed to lose about 10lbs for the month, but I ended up gaining weight.
I am not sure. Here I am online at 3:19am. I got online at midnight. You do the math.
Well, another weekend of lofty plans and ideas, but in the end, it was just the same ol nonsense. I got about of bed about 8:30 with the plan of doing lesson plans for 2 weeks. But some how time just slipped by. I did not even get on the computer until midnight. I knew if I got online, I would have wasted the day and did nothing. As it stands. I did manage to do most of my lesson plans (for next week only). Tomorrow, I will have to do 4 more lessons (two each for social studies and science). I will also need to do a homework sheet.
So how did my day go. I organized a few papers, read last week's unread newspapers, and took about a 2 hour nap. About 6pm, I made some spaghetti with turkey sausages. I also zapped some spinach in the microwave. At 9pm I was planning to watch PBS comedies "Are You Being Served", but the pledge drive was on. I should have turned off the TV, but I ended up watching "Marty"on channel 13. Marty was played by Ernest Borgnine. I think the movie was from the 1950's. The character was a 34 year old unmarried guy, who everyone wanted to get married, but once he found a young lady, then his mom and his best friend did not like her. It was interesting. Sometimes I like to watch old movies. When I was younger, I used to like to watch a PBS series. I think it was called "Evening at the Bijou", it showed very old B&W movies.
Well, it is very late. Before I go, a couple of quick bits...
I found 7 dollars in the middle of the street walking from the Metro-North train station. I held the money in my hands for a while. If someone had came up to me and asked if I'd found that money, I would have given it to that person. Yes, I am one of those people who returns found money (if it is possible).
Cut and Paste Update.
The mother of the "chill out" kid, came to class. She said that she wanted to embarass/scare him a little bit. I was pleased that a parent tried to at least go through the motion of having high moral standards for her child. However, one the child's eyes started to tear up, she quickly takes him to the hallway to comfort him. And since his behavior did not change the very next day, I knew the "show of fear" was a waste of time. Oh, the mother is trying to get her son -- Yes Mr. "Chill Out".
Oh, and another classroom commentary/observation. I found out another student in my class has 6 siblings. I thought I had some news worthy information to share with my colleague, but she was not shocked or surprised. She has a student who is one of 8.
Exercise.
I will try yet again on Monday to maintain an exercise routine. On Friday, one of the Lunch Ladies commented, "Oh, you put on weight". I was supposed to lose about 10lbs for the month, but I ended up gaining weight.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Bits and pieces and this and that. Last night I had a bit of a relapse to my old habit. I went the bed about 2am. I needed the alarm to wake me up. This morning it was a bit chilly. This day was like any other. The kids are in the grips of what I call, "Spring Fever". They are becoming increasingliy loud, angry, and aggressive. Oh, before I forget, I found out that another student in my class is one of seven.
I left work about 5:30. I arrived home about 6:30pm. The first thing I did was to fix my dinner. I put frozen precooked chicken and frozen spinach and ready to eat precooked rice. I microwaved my dinner for 5 minutes. I've tried the oatmeal 2 times per day did not work. I needed something a bit more solid. I have lost a few pounds. Today, one of the students in the hall commented (loudly) that I looked like Steve Urkul. I think tomorrow I will put on my 34waist pants. For the last couple of months, I've had to return to my 38 waist pants. I've been to disorganized, and tired to exercise, but I will return soon I hope. Finally, I wrote an e-mail. See below.
Another student who had been getting on my nerves all week, I decided to send his mother a sample of the kind of day I had with her son. Oh, and the mother of this child wants her son to go into a Talent Since I spent almost an hour typing up the e-mail, I decided to cut and paste the e-mail below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Mrs. Chip,
I hope your week is going well. I am sorry to be bothering you with this. My plan was to have completed the TAG evaluation and mail it on Monday, but Chip (he laughs like a chipmunk) was not on his best behavior. Unfortunately, as the days went on, each day became progressively worst. Today, I decided that I would give you a sample of what my day was like. Normally, during each incident I am writing I would try to correct the behavior to which Chip would argue with me of how he was not doing anything. Or how it was someone else’s fault. Today I decided to not say anything to see how the day would progress. Below is just a sample, I was not able to write everything, but I think it gives you a good picture.
8:30 – Chip is still wandering around the classroom having conversations with various students. He has not completely unpacked yet. When I asked Chip to start the morning Do Now activity, his response was “Chill Out, Chill Out”. This is when I decide that I would write down everything (or as much as I could) today. As I am writing, Chip says, “Wow, like that is going to hurt me”. Then turned to talk to Jon who was on the carpet.
8:38 – I hear Chip’s voice. I look up. Chip said, “What? Why you gotta look at me like I’m stupid”. Then smiles when he continues to talk as I write.
8:50 – Sue and Larry are at Chip’s table (Jack was absent), so it was just those three.. Having a joyful conversation.
9:13 – Chip is passing his glue to Sue. I ask Sue why she and Larry at Chip's’ table. She said that they were helping him (Chip). Just to confirm what I heard, I asked Chip the same question, his response was “yes, they were helping him. The friendly conversation continued during the lesson.
9:30 – On the carpet, the “gangs of 3 were in the corner laughing and socializing. Chip is playing with his sharpener like it is a gun.
9:34 – Gang of 3 continued their friendly conversation during independent reading.
9:37 – I told the gang of 3 that they would need to separate because their conversation was disrupting others. Larry,commented that they were not a gang. So I stopped calling them the gang of 3 and started calling them the 3 Amigos. I commented that those three should not be together to begin with. That is when Chip jumped up and moved to the table by the window. Chip asked if he would get in trouble. My normal response would have been “what do you think?”, but this time, I said nothing and only continued to write as much as I could. Since I did not response, Chip got up and returned (about a minute had passed) to the table with Larry and Sue and resumed the friendly conversation.
10:09 – The math lesson has started. Sue gets up to copy her notes into her notebook. Larry called Sue to come back. When she did not come, Larry said that if she did not come back, they would not be her friend. Here I got angry and yell at Larry asking him why he would stop Sue from doing her work. Larry covers his ears and says, “Oh my god. Leave me alone. Stop bothering me”. Larry returns to his seat.
10:18 – Larry returnsed to Chip’s table, and the friendly conversation continues.
10:21 – Chip finally takes out his notebook, but continues talking to Larry.
10:27 – the conversation between Larry and Chip continues.
10:34 – Chip is making an airplane because (according to Chip) Dan asked him to make it.
11:16 – The 3 Amigos are back together laughing and talking.
11:40 – Lunchtime began at 11:35, but since so many kids were up around laughing, talking, and playing. I sat down and waited…and waited for the class to get ready. If they wanted to waste their lunchtime, I decided to let them. It is at this time, the Chip has Larry in a wrestling hold. Jane tells Chip and Larry to stop so we can go to lunch. Chip jumps in her face and shouts (and laughing as does it) we are not playing.
It is now after lunch…
12:53 – Chip is now angry with Larry. During the Social Studies lesson, Chip calls out, “why does he (Larry) have to sit here?” I reminded him that Larry was “helping him”. I then asked Chip if now he did not want Larry near him. Chip wanted Larry to go, but Sue to say. Again, I confirmed by asking Chip (I wanted to hear it from Chip's own mouth), and yes, Chip said that he wanted Larry to go, but Sue could stay. It is times like this moment when a tape recorder would have been very useful. No, I have not (nor would I) tape the students without parents permission.
1:18 – Larry has returned to Chip's table. The 3 Amigos are laughing and singing. They were asked to stop, but they did not.
1:30 to 2:20 – the students were taking a language arts assessment test. Nothing to report.
2:20 to 3:00 – Small Groups. Nothing to report.
END of e-mail ===================================
Well that took longer than planned. Now I am tired.
I left work about 5:30. I arrived home about 6:30pm. The first thing I did was to fix my dinner. I put frozen precooked chicken and frozen spinach and ready to eat precooked rice. I microwaved my dinner for 5 minutes. I've tried the oatmeal 2 times per day did not work. I needed something a bit more solid. I have lost a few pounds. Today, one of the students in the hall commented (loudly) that I looked like Steve Urkul. I think tomorrow I will put on my 34waist pants. For the last couple of months, I've had to return to my 38 waist pants. I've been to disorganized, and tired to exercise, but I will return soon I hope. Finally, I wrote an e-mail. See below.
Another student who had been getting on my nerves all week, I decided to send his mother a sample of the kind of day I had with her son. Oh, and the mother of this child wants her son to go into a Talent Since I spent almost an hour typing up the e-mail, I decided to cut and paste the e-mail below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Mrs. Chip,
I hope your week is going well. I am sorry to be bothering you with this. My plan was to have completed the TAG evaluation and mail it on Monday, but Chip (he laughs like a chipmunk) was not on his best behavior. Unfortunately, as the days went on, each day became progressively worst. Today, I decided that I would give you a sample of what my day was like. Normally, during each incident I am writing I would try to correct the behavior to which Chip would argue with me of how he was not doing anything. Or how it was someone else’s fault. Today I decided to not say anything to see how the day would progress. Below is just a sample, I was not able to write everything, but I think it gives you a good picture.
8:30 – Chip is still wandering around the classroom having conversations with various students. He has not completely unpacked yet. When I asked Chip to start the morning Do Now activity, his response was “Chill Out, Chill Out”. This is when I decide that I would write down everything (or as much as I could) today. As I am writing, Chip says, “Wow, like that is going to hurt me”. Then turned to talk to Jon who was on the carpet.
8:38 – I hear Chip’s voice. I look up. Chip said, “What? Why you gotta look at me like I’m stupid”. Then smiles when he continues to talk as I write.
8:50 – Sue and Larry are at Chip’s table (Jack was absent), so it was just those three.. Having a joyful conversation.
9:13 – Chip is passing his glue to Sue. I ask Sue why she and Larry at Chip's’ table. She said that they were helping him (Chip). Just to confirm what I heard, I asked Chip the same question, his response was “yes, they were helping him. The friendly conversation continued during the lesson.
9:30 – On the carpet, the “gangs of 3 were in the corner laughing and socializing. Chip is playing with his sharpener like it is a gun.
9:34 – Gang of 3 continued their friendly conversation during independent reading.
9:37 – I told the gang of 3 that they would need to separate because their conversation was disrupting others. Larry,commented that they were not a gang. So I stopped calling them the gang of 3 and started calling them the 3 Amigos. I commented that those three should not be together to begin with. That is when Chip jumped up and moved to the table by the window. Chip asked if he would get in trouble. My normal response would have been “what do you think?”, but this time, I said nothing and only continued to write as much as I could. Since I did not response, Chip got up and returned (about a minute had passed) to the table with Larry and Sue and resumed the friendly conversation.
10:09 – The math lesson has started. Sue gets up to copy her notes into her notebook. Larry called Sue to come back. When she did not come, Larry said that if she did not come back, they would not be her friend. Here I got angry and yell at Larry asking him why he would stop Sue from doing her work. Larry covers his ears and says, “Oh my god. Leave me alone. Stop bothering me”. Larry returns to his seat.
10:18 – Larry returnsed to Chip’s table, and the friendly conversation continues.
10:21 – Chip finally takes out his notebook, but continues talking to Larry.
10:27 – the conversation between Larry and Chip continues.
10:34 – Chip is making an airplane because (according to Chip) Dan asked him to make it.
11:16 – The 3 Amigos are back together laughing and talking.
11:40 – Lunchtime began at 11:35, but since so many kids were up around laughing, talking, and playing. I sat down and waited…and waited for the class to get ready. If they wanted to waste their lunchtime, I decided to let them. It is at this time, the Chip has Larry in a wrestling hold. Jane tells Chip and Larry to stop so we can go to lunch. Chip jumps in her face and shouts (and laughing as does it) we are not playing.
It is now after lunch…
12:53 – Chip is now angry with Larry. During the Social Studies lesson, Chip calls out, “why does he (Larry) have to sit here?” I reminded him that Larry was “helping him”. I then asked Chip if now he did not want Larry near him. Chip wanted Larry to go, but Sue to say. Again, I confirmed by asking Chip (I wanted to hear it from Chip's own mouth), and yes, Chip said that he wanted Larry to go, but Sue could stay. It is times like this moment when a tape recorder would have been very useful. No, I have not (nor would I) tape the students without parents permission.
1:18 – Larry has returned to Chip's table. The 3 Amigos are laughing and singing. They were asked to stop, but they did not.
1:30 to 2:20 – the students were taking a language arts assessment test. Nothing to report.
2:20 to 3:00 – Small Groups. Nothing to report.
END of e-mail ===================================
Well that took longer than planned. Now I am tired.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Another attempt. And several firsts…in a long time. This needs to be brief. I am on a roll..(sort of). Last night (Sunday), was the first time in a very long time I went to bed around 11pm. Usually, I am stressing myself over the things I had not done, and not in bed until 1 or 2am.
Sunday, I was planning to go to my foster father’s place. However, I knew that would have been a 4 or 5 hour chunk out of my poorly planned day. At the last minute, I decided that I would just call. I also did not try to fight the disorganization. I just told myself that I would do what I could and not worry about all of the things I had wanted to do. I did lesson plans for the next day only, and the homework sheet for the week. I showered, and went to bed.
I was up about 5:30am. Another first (in a long time), I did not need the alarm clock to wake me. I was out of my apartment about 6:50. First time I walked to the train in a very long time. In the 7 months I’ve lived here in Yonkers, I believe I’ve only walked to the train 4 or 5 times.
Today, my students were supposed to begin their free swimming lessons, but no one seemed to know anything. I am going to pass on making comments about my work.
Oh, today it was confirmed that one of my students is about to be a brother….
….again….
for the 6th time.
Yes, you are reading correctly. This child…one of my wildest ones, is about to have another sibling…number six. I believe the ages are 7 (my current student), 6 (I had this one a few times last year as a sub – another wild one), 5 (I met this one this year – beginning to earn the wild one reputation of his older brothers), 3 (the only girl in the group), 2 (mentioned as “big brother" was counting his siblings), and the “baby” (only mentioned today, and “one on the way”. Is it wrong of me to think that there is something wrong with that. Seven kids is too much, when mom is struggling to control the ones she has already. From what I’ve been told (I am not good with recognizing ages), mom is in her late 20’s or early 30’s, dad is in his early to mid 40’s. I could go one with the “family” but I want to get started on continuing my streak. My life is not nearly as exciting but it is mine.
I was planning to leave the school at 4 but I managed to get out at 5pm. I returned home about 6:30. I missed the 5:36 Metro-North train, adding the extra 30 minutes to my commute. I ate dinner and now I am typing my blog entry. I am trying a new diet/exercising routine. Until June, I am going to try eating oatmeal, or cold cereal for dinner with a cup of hot green tea. I also want to row about 45 to an hour. I told myself that I would try losing 10 pounds per month, but April I did not do much but gain weight. I currently weigh about 200lbs. I also told myself that I would try not turning on the TV until the 10pm news (Monday thru Friday). Once the TV comes on, I become a zombie. Oh, I will turn on the TV just for my rowing exercises. I have about 10 to 15 DVDs that I have not watched yet. And my bedtime will be 11pm. Well, I had better end this before sleep starts to creep in.
Sunday, I was planning to go to my foster father’s place. However, I knew that would have been a 4 or 5 hour chunk out of my poorly planned day. At the last minute, I decided that I would just call. I also did not try to fight the disorganization. I just told myself that I would do what I could and not worry about all of the things I had wanted to do. I did lesson plans for the next day only, and the homework sheet for the week. I showered, and went to bed.
I was up about 5:30am. Another first (in a long time), I did not need the alarm clock to wake me. I was out of my apartment about 6:50. First time I walked to the train in a very long time. In the 7 months I’ve lived here in Yonkers, I believe I’ve only walked to the train 4 or 5 times.
Today, my students were supposed to begin their free swimming lessons, but no one seemed to know anything. I am going to pass on making comments about my work.
Oh, today it was confirmed that one of my students is about to be a brother….
….again….
for the 6th time.
Yes, you are reading correctly. This child…one of my wildest ones, is about to have another sibling…number six. I believe the ages are 7 (my current student), 6 (I had this one a few times last year as a sub – another wild one), 5 (I met this one this year – beginning to earn the wild one reputation of his older brothers), 3 (the only girl in the group), 2 (mentioned as “big brother" was counting his siblings), and the “baby” (only mentioned today, and “one on the way”. Is it wrong of me to think that there is something wrong with that. Seven kids is too much, when mom is struggling to control the ones she has already. From what I’ve been told (I am not good with recognizing ages), mom is in her late 20’s or early 30’s, dad is in his early to mid 40’s. I could go one with the “family” but I want to get started on continuing my streak. My life is not nearly as exciting but it is mine.
I was planning to leave the school at 4 but I managed to get out at 5pm. I returned home about 6:30. I missed the 5:36 Metro-North train, adding the extra 30 minutes to my commute. I ate dinner and now I am typing my blog entry. I am trying a new diet/exercising routine. Until June, I am going to try eating oatmeal, or cold cereal for dinner with a cup of hot green tea. I also want to row about 45 to an hour. I told myself that I would try losing 10 pounds per month, but April I did not do much but gain weight. I currently weigh about 200lbs. I also told myself that I would try not turning on the TV until the 10pm news (Monday thru Friday). Once the TV comes on, I become a zombie. Oh, I will turn on the TV just for my rowing exercises. I have about 10 to 15 DVDs that I have not watched yet. And my bedtime will be 11pm. Well, I had better end this before sleep starts to creep in.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Same ol same ol. Not much to write about. I just wanted to post something other than the depressing previous entry. I had the same old "slept away the weekend" kind of weekend. It is strange. I slept so much that I don't remember much of Saturday. Yesterday seems like Friday. Well, I am going to end this entry for now. Time for bed.
Starting tomorrow, I will be once again trying to resume exercising and getting organized. I'll let you know how it goes.
Starting tomorrow, I will be once again trying to resume exercising and getting organized. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
3:40am and I am wild awake. Not healthy. Not good. I finished my lesson planning for tomorrow (now today) at about 11:05pm. I showered and ironed my work clothes. I was in bed by 11:40pm.
And...
I waited and waited to fall asleep. Will no luck. My heart seems to be beating a mile a minute. I gave up about 3:30. I drank a couple cups of milk and ate a couple of cereal bars.
Now I am posting this blog entry. I will read a couple of pages of Dream-Hunter, and try again for a little bit of sleep. Not a good start to the workday.
And...
I waited and waited to fall asleep. Will no luck. My heart seems to be beating a mile a minute. I gave up about 3:30. I drank a couple cups of milk and ate a couple of cereal bars.
Now I am posting this blog entry. I will read a couple of pages of Dream-Hunter, and try again for a little bit of sleep. Not a good start to the workday.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Scouting About.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from the organizer of the walking group that I recently joined. She wrote that she would like to do the walking event that I suggested last week. So, I decided to do a pre-walk so that I would not get the group lost. I am not very good with direction, and I get lost very easily.
The suggestion.
I needed to do some scouting for a fieldtrip that I am planning for my class. I want to take my class to the NYC Transit Museum. Before I submit a request to my principal, I wanted to do a little bit of looking so that I would have some idea of what to expect. I thought that since I was going to the museum, I would add a little more to the outing to maybe make it a bit more interesting for the walking group. “Two Birds with one stone.” So, today’s blog entry is about the scouting walk.
I started the day being lazy. No surprised there. I decided that I really need to start doing something to get organized. I decided to do my laundry…I hate doing laundry! I decided that I would do my laundry before I went on the scouting. I was very pleased with myself. It may not seem like much to others, but for me it was major. Today was the first time (maybe ever) I’ve ever done my laundry early. Usually, I wait until the very last minute to do the laundry.
I rode the 12:30 Metro-North train to the Bronx. I stopped off at the Target store there. I wanted to buy the sequel to Inkheart (Inspell). From the Bronx, I continued on my scouting mission (all minutes are approximated):
Bronx to Canal street – 30 minutes
Across the Manhattan Bridge – 25 minutes
Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge (on the Brooklyn side) – 10 minutes
Post Office stop for stamps – 2 minutes
Bridges to Transit Museum – 10 minutes
When I arrived at the Transit Museum, I was surprised to see a line to get into the museum. I decided that I should not waste $5 for admission (adult price), I just asked the staff the approximate time to see the whole museum, and he told me about 45 minutes. On my way back, I decided to stop off at the teacher’s store. I ended up spending $48 dollars in the store. After the teacher’s store, I ate lunch in MacDonald’s. I ate a quarter-pounder without cheese, a Hi-C drink (no ice), medium fries, and 2 apple pies. After lunch, I continue on my scouting trip. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (about 30 minutes). I ended my scouting trip in City Hall Park. I visited my foster father and his lady friend. Since I missed the 8:10 Metro-North train, and I had about 30 minutes to kill, I decided to eat dinner. I order beef with broccoli from the local Chinese restaurant. I returned home about 9:22. I since I ate MacDonald’s and Chinese takeout, I decided to row on my rowing machine. I did about 50 minutes on my rowing machine. I watched my “Ultimate Avengers” DVD that helped to pass the time. I showered and now I am posting this blog.
Wt. = 194.0%lbs. BMI = 29.0%
Post Date – Friday, April 06, 2007 11:50pm
Yesterday I received an e-mail from the organizer of the walking group that I recently joined. She wrote that she would like to do the walking event that I suggested last week. So, I decided to do a pre-walk so that I would not get the group lost. I am not very good with direction, and I get lost very easily.
The suggestion.
I needed to do some scouting for a fieldtrip that I am planning for my class. I want to take my class to the NYC Transit Museum. Before I submit a request to my principal, I wanted to do a little bit of looking so that I would have some idea of what to expect. I thought that since I was going to the museum, I would add a little more to the outing to maybe make it a bit more interesting for the walking group. “Two Birds with one stone.” So, today’s blog entry is about the scouting walk.
I started the day being lazy. No surprised there. I decided that I really need to start doing something to get organized. I decided to do my laundry…I hate doing laundry! I decided that I would do my laundry before I went on the scouting. I was very pleased with myself. It may not seem like much to others, but for me it was major. Today was the first time (maybe ever) I’ve ever done my laundry early. Usually, I wait until the very last minute to do the laundry.
I rode the 12:30 Metro-North train to the Bronx. I stopped off at the Target store there. I wanted to buy the sequel to Inkheart (Inspell). From the Bronx, I continued on my scouting mission (all minutes are approximated):
Bronx to Canal street – 30 minutes
Across the Manhattan Bridge – 25 minutes
Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge (on the Brooklyn side) – 10 minutes
Post Office stop for stamps – 2 minutes
Bridges to Transit Museum – 10 minutes
When I arrived at the Transit Museum, I was surprised to see a line to get into the museum. I decided that I should not waste $5 for admission (adult price), I just asked the staff the approximate time to see the whole museum, and he told me about 45 minutes. On my way back, I decided to stop off at the teacher’s store. I ended up spending $48 dollars in the store. After the teacher’s store, I ate lunch in MacDonald’s. I ate a quarter-pounder without cheese, a Hi-C drink (no ice), medium fries, and 2 apple pies. After lunch, I continue on my scouting trip. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (about 30 minutes). I ended my scouting trip in City Hall Park. I visited my foster father and his lady friend. Since I missed the 8:10 Metro-North train, and I had about 30 minutes to kill, I decided to eat dinner. I order beef with broccoli from the local Chinese restaurant. I returned home about 9:22. I since I ate MacDonald’s and Chinese takeout, I decided to row on my rowing machine. I did about 50 minutes on my rowing machine. I watched my “Ultimate Avengers” DVD that helped to pass the time. I showered and now I am posting this blog.
Wt. = 194.0%lbs. BMI = 29.0%
Post Date – Friday, April 06, 2007 11:50pm
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A lazy day. Today, I did not do much. I watched a lot of TV. I ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which means I kind of fell off the wagon again. I cleaned my bathroom (see attached photos). I loaded up my large shopping cart with the trash and took the trash to the dumpsters behind the buildings. For dinner, I microwaved frozen chicken, frozen string beans, and the last of the leftover rice I made sometime last week. I rowed about 40 minutes. I used my growing DVD collection to distract me from the exercising. Well, like I said, there was not much going on today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.
Until next time…
Wt. = 193.2lbs. BMI = 30.9%
Post Date - Thursday, April 05, 2007 11:38pm
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Fast time. Slow Time. Long time. Time again. Today was probably time wasted. Today I was supposed to be Spring cleaning, but I wasted most of the day dealing with the internet. For Breakfast I had cold and hot cereal and hot green tea. I spent about 2 hours chatting on Skype because I was bored. About 11:30am, my plan was to go shopping. I thought I would go food shopping before I called Verizon again to find out about my DSL. I got my shopping cart (and my umbrella) walked out my apartment, and walked out my building. Right in front of my building was the Verizon van. I wanted to ignore it, but I ended up turning around and going back upstairs. I went upstairs and called Verizon to find out about my DSL. And…I am not kidding nor exaggerating, an hour later, I was told the problem was wrong with the connection inside my apartment. The connection in the living room was defective. The suggestion was that I should move my computer to the bedroom.
“Knowing” what the problem was, my next step was to move my laptop into the bedroom, and connect to the internet via my new DSL. Problem. I couldn’t connect.
So, back again on the phone. This time it took about 30 minutes to discover that the DSL box “must be defective” and must be returned. By the end, I was too tired to do anything. DSL is suppose to be fast and convenient, but so far, it has been anything but.
I knew tomorrow would be another all day wait-a-thon. So I decided to go food shopping, even though it was raining. I took the Metro-North train to Yonkers. I stopped off at the bank and then the post office (I needed to buy stamps). Would you believe the main Yonkers post office had about 10 to 12 people standing and waiting on line, with no stamp vending machine. The place looks like a museum. I took one look at the line, and walked out. After shopping, I returned home. I spent about $85 on food. I made a couple of sandwiches, and a bowl of Campbell’s Chunky soup(low sodium). I watched the Simpsons, Mama’s Family, did 40 minutes on my rowing machine, showered, and watched Doctor Who. I’ve enjoyed Doctor Who when it was on Public Television. I was very happy when Doctor Who was brought back, but since I don’t have cable, I could not watch it until now. I was happy to watch, it wasn’t that great, but it was fairly enjoyable. Now, I will post this and call it a night.
Wt. = 192.4lbs. BMI = 28.6%
Post Date – Wednesday, April 04, 2007 11:58pm
“Knowing” what the problem was, my next step was to move my laptop into the bedroom, and connect to the internet via my new DSL. Problem. I couldn’t connect.
So, back again on the phone. This time it took about 30 minutes to discover that the DSL box “must be defective” and must be returned. By the end, I was too tired to do anything. DSL is suppose to be fast and convenient, but so far, it has been anything but.
I knew tomorrow would be another all day wait-a-thon. So I decided to go food shopping, even though it was raining. I took the Metro-North train to Yonkers. I stopped off at the bank and then the post office (I needed to buy stamps). Would you believe the main Yonkers post office had about 10 to 12 people standing and waiting on line, with no stamp vending machine. The place looks like a museum. I took one look at the line, and walked out. After shopping, I returned home. I spent about $85 on food. I made a couple of sandwiches, and a bowl of Campbell’s Chunky soup(low sodium). I watched the Simpsons, Mama’s Family, did 40 minutes on my rowing machine, showered, and watched Doctor Who. I’ve enjoyed Doctor Who when it was on Public Television. I was very happy when Doctor Who was brought back, but since I don’t have cable, I could not watch it until now. I was happy to watch, it wasn’t that great, but it was fairly enjoyable. Now, I will post this and call it a night.
Wt. = 192.4lbs. BMI = 28.6%
Post Date – Wednesday, April 04, 2007 11:58pm
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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Spring Cleaning (Part 1)
Well, I’ve finally recuperated (I hope) from the stress of work. Today I managed to start cleaning this pigsty. Since I was inside all day, there was plenty of time. So, do I now have DSL connection? Crazy question, by now you should know very few things (if any) come easily for me.
Yesterday, I made an appointment for Verizon to come and check the phone lines to see why I could not get online with DSL. The appointment time given me was 7am to 8pm. So today I waited, and waited and waited…I think you get the idea. Surprise, surprise no show.
I started this morning with cold cereal and hot green tea. I started cleaning about 12midday. The first phase of this mess is to tackle the trash that has been sitting around for a couple of months. Most of today was spent going through the piles of trash separate paper from plastic. See the attached photo. Yes, that stack of newspapers is about 2 feet high. There are newspapers from January in the pile.
At about 4pm, I called Verizon to confirm the appointment and to remind them that the manager’s office closes at 5pm. If they needed to go into the basement, they would need to arrived before 5pm. I spoke to a live person, and that person checked and confirmed that I still had an “active” appointment. So, I waited, and waited. No show. I called them about 8pm. I was connected to India again. This operator seemed to be more talkative. He wanted to know about the weather here, and asked if I liked rainy weather. And then, he proceeded to tell me the why he did not like rainy weather. After about 15 minutes phone chat…(checking the lines from his end, finding the request information, and connect the phone calls, etc…) I was told that I would have to call back tomorrow before 6pm the time the local offices close. Oh, what is connect the phone calls. The operator explained that when I call the 1-800 number I am calling India, he has to call the main dispatch, who then has to call the local verizon company, who then calls the technician who was assigned (but never showed) to find out why I was not able to get my DSL working. So in the end no DSL…yet.
About 5pm, I ate dinner. I put some left over rice in a bowl, added some frozen broccoli bits and top it with some curry sauce. In the microwave for about 6 minutes…presto…dinner in a bowl. Something I picked up in Japan. I miss Yoshinoya. And Ootoya. They are a couple of restaurant chains in Tokyo that served cheap but healthy fast food.
At 10pm, I finally returned to my rowing machine. I did about 40 minutes. My goal is to lose about 10lbs per month for the next 3 months. By the end of June, I want to be within a reasonable weight range for my height and build.
I showered, and now I am typing my blog entry offline. I will post this entry, and then I will call it a night. More cleaning tomorrow.
WT. = 193.6lbs. BMI = 28.4%
Post Date – Tuesday, April 03, 2007 11:58pm
Well, I’ve finally recuperated (I hope) from the stress of work. Today I managed to start cleaning this pigsty. Since I was inside all day, there was plenty of time. So, do I now have DSL connection? Crazy question, by now you should know very few things (if any) come easily for me.
Yesterday, I made an appointment for Verizon to come and check the phone lines to see why I could not get online with DSL. The appointment time given me was 7am to 8pm. So today I waited, and waited and waited…I think you get the idea. Surprise, surprise no show.
I started this morning with cold cereal and hot green tea. I started cleaning about 12midday. The first phase of this mess is to tackle the trash that has been sitting around for a couple of months. Most of today was spent going through the piles of trash separate paper from plastic. See the attached photo. Yes, that stack of newspapers is about 2 feet high. There are newspapers from January in the pile.
At about 4pm, I called Verizon to confirm the appointment and to remind them that the manager’s office closes at 5pm. If they needed to go into the basement, they would need to arrived before 5pm. I spoke to a live person, and that person checked and confirmed that I still had an “active” appointment. So, I waited, and waited. No show. I called them about 8pm. I was connected to India again. This operator seemed to be more talkative. He wanted to know about the weather here, and asked if I liked rainy weather. And then, he proceeded to tell me the why he did not like rainy weather. After about 15 minutes phone chat…(checking the lines from his end, finding the request information, and connect the phone calls, etc…) I was told that I would have to call back tomorrow before 6pm the time the local offices close. Oh, what is connect the phone calls. The operator explained that when I call the 1-800 number I am calling India, he has to call the main dispatch, who then has to call the local verizon company, who then calls the technician who was assigned (but never showed) to find out why I was not able to get my DSL working. So in the end no DSL…yet.
About 5pm, I ate dinner. I put some left over rice in a bowl, added some frozen broccoli bits and top it with some curry sauce. In the microwave for about 6 minutes…presto…dinner in a bowl. Something I picked up in Japan. I miss Yoshinoya. And Ootoya. They are a couple of restaurant chains in Tokyo that served cheap but healthy fast food.
At 10pm, I finally returned to my rowing machine. I did about 40 minutes. My goal is to lose about 10lbs per month for the next 3 months. By the end of June, I want to be within a reasonable weight range for my height and build.
I showered, and now I am typing my blog entry offline. I will post this entry, and then I will call it a night. More cleaning tomorrow.
WT. = 193.6lbs. BMI = 28.4%
Post Date – Tuesday, April 03, 2007 11:58pm
Strike one! Today was supposed to have been the beginning of "getting things done", but old habits will die slow and hard. I woke up late, got on the computer...and did not do much else. About 1pm, I got in the bath and relaxed for almost an hour. After I got out, my plan was to start cleaning my apartment. However, on an impulse, I decided to check my e-mail knowing that there would be nothing there. Then I decided that since I was on the computer, I would call up Verizon to find out why I could not used the DSL that has been billed on my phone bill for the last couple of months, but I've been too lazy to call. Long story short. After about an hour, I was given an appointment for tomorrow (Tuesday) between...get this...7am (in the morning) and 8pm (yep, in the evening). It turns out, the tech support staff that I was speaking to was speaking to me from India. I thought that was very interesting. The guy said that he enjoyed working for Verizon because he got to speak to many wonderful customers. I had another idea, but I won't go there.After the DSL saga, I read a few pages from Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Yes, I finished Inkheart. I liked Inkheart. I was a bit annoyed by the silly ending plot point. If you've figured out a way to end the madness (locked away), then why was it necessary to go through the last chapter or so, with allowing the villian to keep you prisoner, and drag you to the stadium so you could undo the "spell". It was one of those silly plot points made only to build suspense, but you say to yourself, if you test the theory in the prison, isn't it stupid and risky to wait until the show in the stadium. Wasting time hiding the "secret". Unnecessarily being threaten. Unnecessarily worrying about is dad dead or alive. Being forced to change clothes etc...
About 5pm, I watched the evening news. I watched a double episode of Mama's Family. I watched a couple of WB comedies (Girlfriends and the Game). I started to watch the 10pm news, then before I knew it, I was asleep. I woke up about 2am, and now I am typing a blog entry.
Hopefully, tomorrow (now today), will be more productive. I really can't afford to waste this vacation.
Post date - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 2:28pm
About 5pm, I watched the evening news. I watched a double episode of Mama's Family. I watched a couple of WB comedies (Girlfriends and the Game). I started to watch the 10pm news, then before I knew it, I was asleep. I woke up about 2am, and now I am typing a blog entry.
Hopefully, tomorrow (now today), will be more productive. I really can't afford to waste this vacation.
Post date - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 2:28pm
Monday, April 02, 2007
April 2, 2007
On Vacation! Well, my vacation is in full swing. So how did it start? What did I do? What are my plans? Not much on all counts. Saturday I slept. Sunday, I mostly slept. I told myself that I would not stress myself in the beginning. I've had two days to recuperate. Saturday. I watched TV, including the rest of the Team America DVD. It was still fairly stupid, but I could see the satire that they were trying to do. It was really stupid looking at dolls having sex. And the Humor was a bit heavy handed. For dinner, I made a couple of boiled eggs, and mixed the eggs with tuna fish. I had about 3 or four tuna fish sandwiches. Today (Sunday). My plan was to relax in the bathtub. I filled up the tub, but I never got in. More sleeping. I also continued reading my commuter book (the book I read on the train during my commute). I am almost finished reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This is the first in a fantasy trilogy. I am enjoying this book much more than the first book I read by Ms. Funke Dragon Rider. That book was really for young kids...I think. This book (Inkheart) is for an older reader. Young adult most likely. At 534 pages, I don't think there are too many kids that would have the patience to read this book. On the cover there is a stamp that says "Soon to be a major motion picture!" This book is much darker than the other book. It tells the story of a father (and later his daughter) who both can read characters out of books they read. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series...Inkspell. However, I've already bought another book about a deamer walker or something. I probably will start with that book. Anyway, Sunday was basically the same as Saturday. Nothing much going on. About 5pm, I decided that I would get an order of chicken wings and shrimp fried rice from the nearby takeout. I also told myself that I would buy my last pint of Haagen Daaz ice cream before I resume I exercising. My new goal is to lose about 10 pounds per month for the next 3 months. As you have probably figured out, I've fallen off the exercising wagon...again. Starting tomorrow, I will once again resume my rowing, and cutting back on my sweets. Also my goal is to get organized. I need to tackle the mountains of papers growing in my living room. My goal is to also do my lesson planning for the two weeks. I am hoping that since the week we return to school is a three day week (with Thursday being my easy only two period day), I should be able to plan for that short week, and the following full week. The goal is to have all the copies for the full week of school needed to be copied submited the day school resumes. That would mean I would be one week ahead. A large part of my stress comes from not being as organized as I would like to be. Back to Sunday. After returning with my dinner. I ate dinner, and read the Sunday paper. I watched the Animation block on Fox 5. I started watching the 10pm news, but fell asleep. That brings up another goal. I have to break myself out of the irregular sleeping habit I've created for myself. Falling asleep to the point of exhaustion, then waking up at 1 or 2am, only to fall back to sleep at three. By the posting time of this blog entry, you can see that I need to work on the sleep routine.
Well, it is late. Tomorrow, I will need to do something productive. The first thing will probably be to take the things out of my shopping cart. By things, I mean papers that need grading, textbooks for planning etc...Too many times, I've brought that shopping cart home full to the brim with the plan to "get organized, only to have the shopping cart sit by the door, unopened and unmoved until the night before school resumes. It is very depressing to drag that 20 or 25 pound cart all the way home (untouched), only to have to drag it all the way back to school. Hopefully, this vacation will be different....Oh, I hope so.
I am going to attach a photo of the pigsty I've lived in for the last couple of months. Hopefully, posting it will motivate me to clean and organized. As I told my e-pal (as hard as it was for him to believe), I really am a neat and organized person. I believe my living room is a reflection of my mental state...Hopefully, not a permenant state.
Post Date - Monday, April 2, 2007 3:22am
On Vacation! Well, my vacation is in full swing. So how did it start? What did I do? What are my plans? Not much on all counts. Saturday I slept. Sunday, I mostly slept. I told myself that I would not stress myself in the beginning. I've had two days to recuperate. Saturday. I watched TV, including the rest of the Team America DVD. It was still fairly stupid, but I could see the satire that they were trying to do. It was really stupid looking at dolls having sex. And the Humor was a bit heavy handed. For dinner, I made a couple of boiled eggs, and mixed the eggs with tuna fish. I had about 3 or four tuna fish sandwiches. Today (Sunday). My plan was to relax in the bathtub. I filled up the tub, but I never got in. More sleeping. I also continued reading my commuter book (the book I read on the train during my commute). I am almost finished reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This is the first in a fantasy trilogy. I am enjoying this book much more than the first book I read by Ms. Funke Dragon Rider. That book was really for young kids...I think. This book (Inkheart) is for an older reader. Young adult most likely. At 534 pages, I don't think there are too many kids that would have the patience to read this book. On the cover there is a stamp that says "Soon to be a major motion picture!" This book is much darker than the other book. It tells the story of a father (and later his daughter) who both can read characters out of books they read. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series...Inkspell. However, I've already bought another book about a deamer walker or something. I probably will start with that book. Anyway, Sunday was basically the same as Saturday. Nothing much going on. About 5pm, I decided that I would get an order of chicken wings and shrimp fried rice from the nearby takeout. I also told myself that I would buy my last pint of Haagen Daaz ice cream before I resume I exercising. My new goal is to lose about 10 pounds per month for the next 3 months. As you have probably figured out, I've fallen off the exercising wagon...again. Starting tomorrow, I will once again resume my rowing, and cutting back on my sweets. Also my goal is to get organized. I need to tackle the mountains of papers growing in my living room. My goal is to also do my lesson planning for the two weeks. I am hoping that since the week we return to school is a three day week (with Thursday being my easy only two period day), I should be able to plan for that short week, and the following full week. The goal is to have all the copies for the full week of school needed to be copied submited the day school resumes. That would mean I would be one week ahead. A large part of my stress comes from not being as organized as I would like to be. Back to Sunday. After returning with my dinner. I ate dinner, and read the Sunday paper. I watched the Animation block on Fox 5. I started watching the 10pm news, but fell asleep. That brings up another goal. I have to break myself out of the irregular sleeping habit I've created for myself. Falling asleep to the point of exhaustion, then waking up at 1 or 2am, only to fall back to sleep at three. By the posting time of this blog entry, you can see that I need to work on the sleep routine.
Well, it is late. Tomorrow, I will need to do something productive. The first thing will probably be to take the things out of my shopping cart. By things, I mean papers that need grading, textbooks for planning etc...Too many times, I've brought that shopping cart home full to the brim with the plan to "get organized, only to have the shopping cart sit by the door, unopened and unmoved until the night before school resumes. It is very depressing to drag that 20 or 25 pound cart all the way home (untouched), only to have to drag it all the way back to school. Hopefully, this vacation will be different....Oh, I hope so.
I am going to attach a photo of the pigsty I've lived in for the last couple of months. Hopefully, posting it will motivate me to clean and organized. As I told my e-pal (as hard as it was for him to believe), I really am a neat and organized person. I believe my living room is a reflection of my mental state...Hopefully, not a permenant state.Post Date - Monday, April 2, 2007 3:22am
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