Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"I love bacon, so I feel sorry for veterinarians."

Boy- "Your hair smells so good."
Girl- "Aww, thank you!"
Boy- "You smell like bacon."

"Whoa, I just walked backwards!  I didn't know I could do that!"

"Hey Mrs. V, if I don't know the answer, will you give me partial credit if I write 'Baby Jesus' for the answer?"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

I want to turn Asian, so I am using Japanese body wash.

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Two boys were talking during class, so I walked over and stood between them.

"Hey Mrs. V, we're all talking about different things.  I'm talking about guns and he's talking about leprosy!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Is anyone excited to see Santa? [pauses] He's my dad!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Boy 1-"Are you proud to be a white kid?"
Boy 2- "I'm not white, I'm Irish!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Hey, Mrs. V, can I go shave?"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Everyone loves my mommy; it's my daddy whose a jerk!" (Spoken by a 10th grade boy)

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"My grandma has fake boobs....and a nose ring."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Hey, Mrs. V! Look, I'm in a tree!"
"No, you are standing behind a bush."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Leprechauns and justice for all! 48 hours only, limited time deal!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

On a quiz, a student wrote, "No my heart doesn't beet because of you."  (Spelling is his)

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"That's kind of stalkerish, but I like it."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Why is this bottle filled with socks?"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Boy: "I'm Justin Bieber."
Mrs. V: "Good for you.  Want to explain the shorts?"
Boy: "Yes, they are same shorts I have worn for the past 3 days, and no,  I haven't washed them."
Mrs. V: "Okay...."
Boy: "I want to be homeless when I grow up, and I am practicing."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"When I am 45 and I have two kids, I am definitely talking about zombies."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"When they come, I am totally stealing a boat."
"You can't live long enough on a boat to survive a Zombie infestation."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Boy- "Hey, Mrs. V, will you be my date to homecoming?"
Mrs. V- "No."
Boy- "Man, I just got rejected by a teacher.  It's only illegal if we do something!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"I feel accomplished. My butt stayed off the floor today!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Hey, Mrs. V, sign language would be a lot easier to understand if Deaf people just talked."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Girl- "Mrs. V, Coach may look young, but he's really OLD. He's a lot older than you.  He's like THIRTY-FIVE!"
Mrs. V- "35 isn't that old, my husband is 31."
Girl- "But 35 is SO much older than that!"
Mrs. V- "Only by 4 years."

By the way, Coach is actually 3 years younger than me.

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

We were having a meeting about cheerleading fundraising. Randomly in the middle of the meeting this happened:

Girl 1-"Did you know real boobs float?  So if you are drowning, your boobs will save you!"
Girl 2- "I don't have boobs, but I got enough booty to save you all!  It will just float on up and go BOOP!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Boy 1- "Hey, Mrs. V, what kind of gun do you keep in your car?"
Mrs. V- "Umm, it's a Springfield, but it's not in there now."
Boy 2- "Oh, S!  I think she does have one."
Boy 3- "What size is it; .45, 9..."
Mrs. V-" It's a 9mm."
Boy 1- "So you own a Glock 9?"
Mrs. V-"No. It's a Springfield XD9."
Boy 2- "That's a nice gun!  Do you want to sell it to me?"
Mrs. V- "No."
Boy 2- "That's probably a good idea.  You know THAT would end up on the news!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Cheerleader 1- "Hey, Mrs. V, do you have a big butt?"

Cheerleader 2- " What kind of question is that, of course she has a nice butt."

Cheerleader 1- "It's not like I ever look at it!"

Cheerleader 2- " Have you not heard [boy's name] talking about it?"

Cheerleader 1- "That's right, sorry to tell you this, Mrs. V, but the boys are checking you out all period."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

"Hey, Mrs. V, you know that your daughter has a black girl name, right?  Do you know what that means? She's got no choice but to marry a black man."

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Student starts laughing hysterically, rolling on the floor pounding it with her fists.  She signs the signs for "how many" and "weird" over and over while screaming:

"JELLYFISH SURPRISE!!!!!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Elementary student runs up to me and gives me huge bear hug.

"I'm gonna squeeze you 'till you turn to cheese!"

Hey, Mrs. V! (Strange Statements from Students)

Upon telling a student that he had brought his grade up high enough to exempt:

Student:  "Have I told you I love you, Mrs. V?"  [pauses] "in a non-intimate way of course" [pauses] "unless you want it to be..."

Mrs. V: "No. I'm not interested."

Student gets a very dejected look upon his face, and I go back to teaching.

Summer Indulgence

Yum! Bananas with two flavors of gelato: milk chocolate and peanut butter cup.

Aubergine

I honestly prefer the British word for "eggplant"- aubergine...It just rolls off the tongue like a southern gentleman cooing to his sweetheart, "oh, Ber Jean!"

I picked up my lovely plant on a whim at the home improvement store. I went for cilantro, and left with $40 worth of plants. The sad thing is, the cilantro ended up rolling out of the bag, under my stroller in my trunk and was left there for two days. In the hot Florida sun, that is like tossing the plant in the oven!

I had fallen in LOVE with the pretty star-shaped purple blossoms on this lovely Ichiban variety (hehe, it sounds like "itchy bum!"). I figured that even if it didn't produce fruit, (I think it is a fruit- it has seeds inside, right?) I would have the lovely flowers.
Well, it did produce, and now I have one giant aubergine, and a couple little nubby ones. Seriously, look how ginormous it is next to my puny little stretched out hand!

However, I have to again admit that I can not recall ever eating eggplant. So how would I cook it to most enjoy it? I think Alton Brown did an episode on eggplant once.... I know I shouldn't pick it until I am ready to eat it, though.
The pretty flowers: as a heads up, don't eat the flowers, leaves, or stems- eggplant is a nightshade and could kill you!

More treats from my garden

I decided to go okra after seeing how pretty the flowers are. However, I have never eaten it before!
The leaves are HUGE!
My one lonely bell pepper- he's so pretty and yellow. What he doesn't know is that in a few days time, I will rip him off the plant, hack his body to pieces, and devour him while grinning from ear to ear!

I love that my patio has a great big area where I can plant lots of goodies. After the fiasco last year when everything died from irredeamable soil, I switched to container planting. However, it has been decided by the powers that be (aka our landlords) that this month they will be painting. Yes, it will take them pretty much a whole month. Thus, we had to pile all of our things on our patio in the middle of the patio (and take down our gazebo). However, I realized that by having all my plants consolidated, I could make my silly little garden look lush and full! So here is my garden earlier in the week (I have planted more today, but haven't taken pictures yet.)

I was even able to make my sickly little tomato look alive! I don't know what its problem is, it will look half dead, but it keeps giving me more 'maters. Oh well!

My Life's Soundtrack, Volume #1

For Bible Study, we were given the assignment to make a copy of our life's soundtrack and write about each song. As I listened to the final version, I realized there was a overall theme of feeling helpless, and relying on God. I guess over the past several years I have fallen into a "Job" season of my life, with my world being firmly uprooted several times. I have found safety and security in my family and in my God, for there is really little in my life offering me any degree of support. For the most part, they are in no particular order, with a couple exceptions (like when I had too many sad songs together!)

• Hallelujah- Rufus Wainright- This song simply speaks to my belief that no matter how far you fall, God can catch you (cliche, I know!).
  
• Across the Universe- Fiona Apple- "Jai guru deva" can be translated several ways, in cluding my choice, "Glory to God Divine." For me writing is cathartic, and these lines symbolize that for me:

  "words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither while they pass They slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow waves of joy are drifting thorough my open mind
  Possessing and caressing me"

• Storm- Lifehouse- This song almost always makes me cry.
  
• LDN- Lily Allen- I needed something happy at this point, and though my soundtrack is fairly somber, I like to think I am mostly optimistic. I also went through a period of my life where I wanted to study abroad in London. However, I didn't want to live in the REAl London with rain, fog, and cold; I wanted to live in the sunny and happy london in the movies!
  
• Lucky- Jason Mraz/ Colbie Caillet-

  I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
  Lucky to have been where I have been
  Lucky to be coming home again

• If I had to pick only one song to describe where I am in my life now, it would be this one! My experiences have built me into who I am, and I am deeply in love with my best friend who is also my husband of seven and a half years!
  

• 
  
• Dandelions- Five Iron Frenzy- The story of unconditional love (and a totally touching mommy song!)
• The Rainbow Connection- Sarah McLaughlin- This is a song that makes me think of my older daughter.
  
• You're Not Alone- Saosin- I need to hear the title many days, I have had many life changes that have caused me to grow apart from my best girlfriends, which often leaves me feeling lonely.
  
• One Day- Matisyahu- My favorite part of this song is:

  sometimes in my tears I drown
  but I never let it get me down
  so when negativity surrounds
  I know some day it'll all turn around

• Liberal Arts Degree- Golden Vanity (old edition)- Right now I am in a rough place when it comes to how I feel about college. I just graduated with my Bachelor's after taking 6 years off (I have had my Associate's for a while). The schools are on a hiring freeze, so I can't apply for a permanent position, so I am frustrated with not using my degree at this moment!
  
• Zoe Jane- Stained- This song is for my younger daughter.
  
• Breathe-Acquire the Fire- I love this song, but strangely I have never been to an Acquire the Fire event (couln't afford both TOP/camp and AtF, so I picked TOP), nor do I know how this album ended up in my computer!
  
• Lazy Eye- Silversun Pickups- This song is about anticipation and looking forward, I guess. Or I just liked it and stuck it on here for fun.....
  
• Good Riddance- Green Day- I am at a turning point in my life, and waiting to see where God takes me!
  
• Alarm Clock- The W's- I love the outlook this song has. I keep saying to myself that I need to play those lottery numbers, but never do!
  
• Battlescars- Ozma- A song about pressing on and never giving up on my dreams!
  

It's raining, it's pouring....

in my upstairs hallway!

Dang it! I don't want to start this again! I thought moving would solve my leaky-roof problem.

That and monsters under the bed

Last week was awful, but I don't want to dwell on it.

But have you ever gotten a weird random text that is personal enough to make you know that you know the person, but the number doesn't show up on caller id? It showed up after I was in bed, so I replied this morning asking who it was, but haven't heard back. It's kind of creepy, but I think it *might* be my brother's new number...maybe...

Always an Outsider...

...Never part of the crowd.


I did something today I shouldn't have done. I looked at old photos from, well I probably shouldn't say, but its was an organization that I was heavily involved in for many many years, and that I thought I was a major part of. Nope. I realize I was only there out of their obligation to permit me, and I was rarely if ever invited to the behind the scene fun.

I always knew I was kind of the pariah in high school. I was a little too goody-goody, and know-it-all too really be accepted. People were nice to me, but I was never invited to do things outside of those halls. In college, I was told by a male high school classmate, that he had been interested in me back then, but his friends strongly discouraged it. That kind of broke me; before I could pretend I was paranoid, but that statement crushed my spirit.


I have gotten to the point where I don't really have many friends. Oh, I have plenty of acquaintances and others I hang out with, but no one to call and pour my heart out to when I feel defeated. I guess that is why I blog, haha.


PS: Upon rereading this I feel like even more of a loser.

To the best of my recollection, how I did it:

I crushed my little toe on my left foot yesterday. It's probably broken, but they don't generally xray the smaller toes unless bones are popping out.

Two main factors contributed to this accident: my own stubbornness, and the construction of my front door.

I never wear shoes unless I have to; I prefer being barefoot. Stores, work and public restrooms are the main places that I need them; I like being barefoot but I am no Brittany Spears. I even got married barefoot! So yesterday when I ran out to the car to grab something, I didn't bother throwing any shoes on.

My front door has no clearance between the bottom and the ground. I have to put my welcome mat way down the walk, because the door can't clear it and it jams the door shut. I don't know who designed it this way, but it really is screwy!

The next part of the story becomes a little fuzzy. Punky was already at my parents' house for a sleepover, so I was gathering her overnight bag. I ran to the car, got my things, opened the front door and BAM! I don't remember if I swung to door onto my foot, or if it swung back as I was trying to shuffle things. It doesn't really matter, because either way, my little toe was wedged between the door and the concrete, in a space too narrow for a doormat!

I am pretty sure I went into shock; the pain was so great that I started dry heaving and I was so dizzy I couldn't see straight. I hobbled to the kitchen to get ice, crawled upstairs to dip my foot in the tub, and proceeded to lie on the floor writhing in pain while making a completely incoherent phone call to my dad about my daughter needing to wear my sister's pajamas because I couldn't drive. If a video was taken of it, I am sure I would be an instant internet phenomenon!

Scout was wonderful during this craziness. She started to freak out until I gave her an ice cube to play with. Later, she took care of me and brought me a blanket and fed me crackers and stuffing. (Her choice, not mine.) It tells me that I have done a good job nurturing her, if she wants to care for me!

My foot still hurts like crazy. I tried to put an adhesive bandage on where all the skin was peeled off, and just about doubled over in pain. I have the start of a pretty nasty bruise. I can walk, so long as I don't bear weight on it yet. I haven't tried buddy taping it yet, but will when I go to pick Punky up from her sleepover at my parents. Guess I will be taking it easy this weekend...

What my class has taught me about my life

I am taking a course on language and culture in foreign film; it was supposed to be a linguistics course, but is really far from it. However, the more I am involved in this class, the more I learn about myself.

I really enjoy foreign films, but until recently have avoided them, because no one will watch them with me. I also can watch movies on my own, haha.

I dream of being an ex patriot, but am terrified to move across the state. I get wrapped up in these idealized worlds that I know don't exist. I am facing a possible move that is opening great possibilities, but the idea of leaving my comfortable little world scares me.

I also am a little unnerved by travel that is not in an automobile. I have been in car accidents, way too many. I have been under a semi-truck. I have gotten motion sick more times than I could ever count. My butt has gone numb from sitting. Yet, when it comes time to travel, I don't fly, or take the train. How will I ever travel abroad if I insist on driving? I guess I am just a little crazy!


"Unlike fish that see sideways, and flies that see all around them, people can only see what is in front of them." -Catarina in the Big City

So Hard to Admit

Something that has been stewing in me for sometime is a horrible fear that I will grow up and become a hoarder.

I absolutely know that I am nowhere near as bad as those people you see on tv. We have no pets, so no worries about becoming the crazy cat lady, nor am I stockpiling rancid food. However, I do know I have way too much clutter, and some of the statements that come out of those people's mouths when I watch them on tv resonate within me.

"When I think about cleaning it up, it just becomes too overwhelming."

"I just don't like stuff being thrown away behind my back. I feel very violated and very serious break of trust if someone does that. That's like doing something to me and I don't like that at all"

" Part of my problem is I did start collecting stuff but I didn't want get rid of it. It's gotten to the point that it's overwhelming just thinking about it."

from Hoarders

I have trouble getting rid of "useful" items. The girls have way to many toys and clothes. I have way too many clothes. I never know what to wear. We have more books than a library! I have a storage unit, and probably only know of a dozen things in there that I want and need. I have boxes in the garage at my late father-in-law's house; I know what is in most of them, but honestly this many months later, do I really need it? When I look at everything, I just don't know where to begin! When I see and touch things it brings back memories. I feel guilty getting rid of nice things that people have given me. The last two times we moved, things were not packed well, so I know there are things I want, but just can't find them!

I need someone like the specialists on tv to come in and help me objectively. Someone who isn't going to judge me or act like I am crazy. I can't afford to pay for someone like that, I looked into it, so I just kind of ignore it. My tendencies have put a strain on my marriage in the past; that is why my storage unit exists. My junk lives there so that Marvin can ignore it. I have a private blog that I used to affirm myself on how much I got rid of, but the stuff just seems to multiply! I try to avoid shopping now. I am doing better now, and actually let people come over to my house (because I hide all of my clutter).

I am not trying to make excuses for myself, but my disorganization is where my ADHD manifests itself.
Trying to go through it all alone gives me an anxiety attack.
Just writing this embarrasses me greatly.
I just wish someone would come in and just keep me company and keep me focused so I could help myself.
Books motivate me, but only briefly.
I want to cry.
I am ashamed.
I feel like a failure.
I am crying.