The weekends go by soooo fast.

I'm down to about 28 days of teaching left. That's craaaazy. I can't believe my first year is already almost over. I'm looking forward to next year though.

Whenever I go home on Friday, I'm feeling so gung-ho about getting so much work done for school over the weekend. Then Friday night rolls around and I usually end up hanging out at Target or going out with (e:Mike) and the gang. Then of course Saturday I sleep in a little, have a delicious breakfast, clean up some stuff, do some shopping, maybe go out to dinner, and then go catch a movie or go out again. And Sunday I have church, and then I teach lessons, and I have to run, and then do our family dinner. Who can be expected to squeeze in schoolwork on such a full, exhausting schedule?

Plus, who can be expected to do work on a day like today, beautiful weather, the Sabres game...

I ran 10 miles today - my second time running that far, and this time I went faster than last time. It was actually sort of, dare I say, easy? I mean I needed to stretch and I'm a little sore in my right hip, but mentally it was a breeze. I'm very ready for this half marathon I think. :)

Ummmm, what else...yesterday I ran by Cozumel and was amazed by the number of people there! I then went home and told my mom all about it, and she kindly reminded me what yesterday's date was...DUH!!!!!!

(e:Anne) and I came to the conclusion that we both have literally no idea where the Rainbow Rink is. And my mom started to tell us but we both sort of didn't want her to tell us because we enjoy the mystery. I blocked it out and I hope (e:Anne) did too.

Can't wait to hear some more about (e:Mike) 's slapping a cowboy experience, too.

Running is the best cure for depression, I think. Well, exercise in general. It just makes you feel so good. I admit, without (e:Mike) and (e:Jill) here this weekend, I felt a bit lonely and that drew up some sad feelings last night and this morning, but I've felt so much better since I went running. Running personally helps me put things into perspective and realize that most things aren't that big of a deal and that certain things have or have not happened for very good reasons. So I think before people take drugs or some other treatment for depression, they should try adding some exercise to their lives. I know it wouldn't cure everyone but it would definitely help. So if you're feeling down, go for a walk, or a run, or ride a bike, or dance...even if what you were sad about doesn't change, the way you think about it will, at least for awhile.

And finally, (e:Anne) and I went to the historic Riviera Theater on Friday to catch a production of The Sound of Music. It was just as entertaining as we had hoped. If you aren't lucky enough to have gone to the Riviera Theater for a production, you must. You are in for a real....treat...


GO SABRES!!!!!!!!!!!! (What will Buffalo be like when the Sabres win the cup?? That's another entry for another day...)

I had our Spring Concert tonight at the high school, and now I'm listening to the concert.

I always get very contemplative after these kinds of events. I know I've only been teaching for a year now, but I really feel like I'm making progress in a lot of ways. The students definitely respond to me differently than they used to. A lot of kids who resented me for being there have changed. I guess they see that I know how to get them to sing better. I almost typed "get them to sing well" but I don't know if I would say that. I don't think they all sing well, yet. Too many bad habits have been learned in the past few years to drop so quickly. But things are definitely changing, slowly but surely.

It's weird, at the beginning of the year, i HATED being in the room without the other teacher (let's call her "Pat") there. I did not like being in charge at all. But now it is becoming much more natural. I think it's because I don't worship the ground that Pat walks on anymore. I had no confidence in myself and therefore did everything the way she did, but now I'm starting to find my own style and am trying different ways of getting things done.

All I know is next year, I think I will be the only official chorus teacher, and that would have terrified me last year, but now I'm really looking forward to the challenge. I know that I was so set on going away to grad school soon but I'm really enjoying what I'm doing now...getting kids interested in music and expanding a very small music department into something better. Not that it matters to much, but I would love to eventually be known around the Western New York area as a school with a good music tradition. That takes years and years, I know, but maybe I'm up for it?

The song Lose Yourself by Eminem is good. I forgot about it.

I'm in a weird mood. I just got back from a wedding reception that was soooo nice. It was at the Statler Towers on Delaware by City Hall. The food was good, the hall was pretty, there was valet parking, blah blah, it was all really nice. And the dj was so great. I liked every single song he played. I was bummed that I wasn't there with my friends though. We would have danced the entire time. I was there with my mom, who is still a good time, but not the same. We danced to the classics such as I Will Survive, Play that funky music (my mom seriously goes crazy when she hears that song), and the Electric Slide among others. But I missed my buddies on "Jump On It", "Blister In the Sun", "Jump On it", that "skeet" song, etc etc.

I also left the wedding wishing I had gone to Notre Dame for medical school. EVERY PERSON AT THAT WEDDING WAS BEAUTIFUL. They are obviously all med students from Notre Dame. I felt like I was watching a TV show. And not only were they beautiful but they were so much fun. I don't think they stopped dancing at all. It made me wish I was their friend so I could have been dancing with them, but I didn't want to be some weirdo that was dancing with a bunch of (hot) people she didn't know. The bride and I are not nearly close enough for me to just randomly shimmy up to her and start belting out "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa. That would be wierd. So I kinda just stood on the side with my mom and some other people and sang and swayed to the music, watching all the hot people.

I am so obsessed with my weight and the way my body looks and what I eat and how much I exercise. I can't stand it. I don't know how to stop it but I want to. I feel like I need to talk to a therapist or something. All I do is think about how many calories I eat and how many I burn when I run and how my clothes fit and how chubby my face looks and I just want to stop caring so much. I was on a streak for like, 2 weeks of eating a decent amount and not going to bed feeling stuffed, and also going running, and then today I ate like crap because I was hungover and wanted greasy good, but now I feel gross. No, I feel guilty, and that's what I hate. I didn't go running on Friday or Saturday, and I feel guilty. There is no reason to feel guilty but I do. I'm not even sure where these feelings come from...there are probably lots of reasons why I started feeling this way. I never cared about it in high school or even the beginning of college. It wasn't until like 3 years ago that I would even THINK about running for fun, and the whole calorie counting thing started probably about a year or so ago. I wish it hadn't. I just want to change how I think about these things because I feel that I'm very mentally unhealthy and unstable about these issues.

I'm going to be a full time teacher next year! Yay tenure! Yay seniority! YAY MONEY!

Tonight Mike and I dined out for life at Astoria on Elmwood. We both got the same thing for dinner which maybe is weird but the waiter seemed overly happy as he said it made his job easier. Our dinner was pretty good, not the greatest meal ever but certainly not the worst, but our appetizers were super delicious - Cajun grilled shrimp. I think the next time I go back I'm getting that as a dinner. I love fish. I really hope there's no time in my life when I can't eat fish on a regular basis. Let's keep the oceans clean and full of delicious seafood!

Plus Astoria had warm bread on the table which is always a plus. Overall I enjoyed the dining experience and I would recommend it. Not cheap but not as expensive as you can get in these parts. For an iced tea, an appetizer and two meals it was like $53. That seems crazy compared to our old days of spending $5 max each when we would all go out to eat every single night of the week a few summers ago. I guess maybe we are growing up a little bit?

((e:Mike) reminded me that it's been ten years since we were freshmen in high school today. A DECADE. Where is the time going?!?!?)

i'm online at the apple store using a beautiful giant screen macbook pro. i'm a little bit drooling. it's so beeeautiful. makes my macbook seem small and sad. haha. ME WANT!

one of my high school kids asked me today "do trombone players call themselves tromboners"?


inappropriate? i suppose. we all laughed anyway.


it seems to be the goal of my students to get me to swear or say anything perverse. i refuse.


muhahahahaha.

It's list time...I find it's an easier way to organize thoughts rather than rambling, which I'm also good at...

1) I never complain about gas prices, but I'm pretty annoyed by the recent wave of gas price raises because I have to drive to Fredonia and back twice this weekend. It usually takes about half a tank to make the trip just once, therefore it will cost me approximately $40, let alone the other driving I might do. Maybe I'll fill up at the res on the way back the second time. Shout-out to (e:Anne) for making one of the trips there with me. How about we take your car....?? :)

2) It really annoys me that people hit their brakes when they see a trooper on the side of the highway giving someone a ticket. Do people honestly think that the trooper is going to say to the person being pulled over, "You know, on second thought, I'm going to let you go, and go chase that person who just flew by me at 85 miles per hour"?

3) I'm pretty much back on track with running and am finally starting to see SOME results. It would make the biggest difference if I started eating better. I know that my body could be different if I stopped eating certain things, but I consider having a delicious reward (or three) as being one of the best parts of being a runner. I think a lot of runners feel that way. Yay, metabolism!

4) Can't wait to Dine Out for Life next week with (e:Mike) and whomever else may join us :)

5) I'm so sick of seeing this asshole loser's face all over the freakin television. Stop shoving it down our throats, stupid media.

6) So my friend Ashley is sort of setting me up with someone. She's still in high school and she wants me to meet her band teacher. I'm pretty sure her only criteria is that we're both single music teachers, and that he saw my picture and thought I was cute. I don't know how much we have in common other than being Fredonia graduates and teaching, but that's always a start. I feel sort of weird about it...I've never really done this before. At least we aren't going to dinner or something. He's just going to be there during a rehearsal we're having, so I'll probably say hello to him afterwards or something. But still...it seems like it might be awkward! Plus he's 29. What if he wants to get married right away? Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

7) I love getting my hair cut. If I was rich I would definitely pay someone to wash and style my hair every day. I'm pretty sure it's the most relaxing thing on Earth. I love when people touch my hair. I've never had a boyfriend who did it enough. That's gotta change. My hair is pretty! It needs to be adored!

8) I used to hate Opie and Anthony and resented that they took Shredd and Ragan's spot. I've since discovered that I definitely prefer S & R in the afternoon because I can hear more of it, and I've started to enjoy O & A for the most part. They're about the only thing I can tolerate in the morning besides NPR.

9) It's late. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SABRES

is it wrong that i always assume that the la nova on main street is not as good as the la nova in buffalo?

(e:Anne) and I are in Alabama for the weekend with our family. We're supposed to come home tonight, but apparently the weather is going to be bad. My dad gets very dramatic when he hears that weather is going to be an issue, and was already talking about getting a hotel room for tonight just in case. Even when I just go to Fredonia for my voice lessons, he always warns me that he heard about bad weather. Anyway hopefully we'll make it back today...NOT that I wouldn't mind missing school tomorrow, but (e:Anne) doesn't want to miss her Spanish class again (the same class I made her skip on Wednesday....oooooops).