I’m Weird and Crazy

This week I was told that I am weird and crazy!?!?! The reason for the name calling was not because of strange behavior, but instead my feelings about the weather and daylight savings time.

This past week, the weather, in my opinion, was perfect. There were clear, blue skies, wispy clouds, and cool temperatures due to the wind. I like the wind, I like the cooler weather, and I like the clear (and by clear I mean dry) sky. I got to wear comfy sweaters, jeans, and boots, and I had good hair. Everyone else I know complained about the weather this week…EVERYONE! This week’s weather made me happy.

Daylight savings time started this morning. It’s so much earlier than it used to be. I don’t like that. Well, that made me strange too. Others have looked so forward to the “longer day”. They like it staying light later. I don’t, during the work week anyways. There’s something about it getting dark around 5:00 that makes STOP and relax. When it’s light until 6 or 7 or even 8, I tend to keep going. When I’m working, my body clock tells me it’s time to unwind once it’s dark. The later that darkness comes, the shorter the unwinding is.

Most of all, however, is that with the time change, that extra hour of light has to come from somewhere and, unfortunately, it is RIPPED away from morning time. I am not a morning person so getting up for work between 5:30 and 6:00 am is painful. That pain is lessened a bit when the sun is rising at this time. With daylight savings it is going to continue to be dark for another hour and a half AFTER I get out of bed. Just thinking about it makes me really crabby. It will, in fact, still be dark when I leave for work in the morning. Of course, it’ll work itself out over the next couple of months as the days continue to get longer, but since DST occurs so much earlier now, it will take longer to do so.

Once summer comes, I’m all for long days, late nights, and lazy mornings sleeping in, but since I’ve got to function while I’m working I don’t like it at all. Whose idea was this anyways!?!?

I know not everyone practices DST. Luck out! Do you? How do you feel about it? Am I really THAT weird and crazy? (I mean about this)

Everyday

a haiku…

exit my warm bed
teach kids all day home workout
journal TV sleep

Whew! That was tough. I have much too much to say to use the haiku format very often. Free verse is more my style. Wow, my “regular” day is even less exciting in poetry. What’s your favorite part of your regular day.

This One Time I Couldn’t Hear

Over this past month, I have been fighting some kind of low-grade cold and/or sinus thing. I blow my nose about 50 times a day! My ears pop and rattle when I blow my nose which makes me nervous. Anytime my ears clog up these days, I get nervous.

A couple of years ago, I had this same type of, whatever, and it turned into some problems with my ears. I have had ear issues my whole life – ear infections and blown-out ear drums. Then this one day, one of my ears plugged up. No matter how much I yawned, blew my nose, or chewed gum, it stayed plugged up. A day or so later, while trying to clear up the first one, the other ear plugged up.

Oh, I can not tell you how awful it was. Imagine when you get water in your ear after swimming. Ya know that feeling? Well now imagine that feeling in both ears! I could feel and hear sloshing around in my ears. It was a loud “whooshing” sound which made me hopeful that it would clear up, but then wouldn’t. I also couldn’t hear very well. All sounds seemed as if I was listening to them through a glass. I could hear the outline of the sounds, but couldn’t always make out what they actually were. At night when trying to sleep, I could hear my heart beating or maybe echoing. The pounding kept me awake at night.

After a couple of weeks, I went to the doctor. They cleaned out my ears and I thought that did the trick. However, the relief was short lived. About a month into it, I visited the ear, nose, and throat doctor. He told me it was fluid in the ear. He gave me some antibiotics to keep away infection but other than waiting for it to drain, there wasn’t a whole lot else for me to do, except possibly lance the area if needed. I decided to wait.

However, during the wait, it was making my professional life very difficult. I couldn’t hear the exact words that came out of my students’ mouths. I nodded a lot and said, “OK,” or laughed like I was understanding. In the staff room, my friends and colleagues had great conversations that I didn’t understand most of the time. “What?” became the most common word in my vocabulary.

My students were good about it though, even after about 2 months of constantly asking them to repeat themselves. One time, Jayson, one of my favorite students ever, had raised his hand to ask a question. He asked it. I asked him to repeat himself. He asked it again. Again, I had to ask him to repeat himself. At that point, he sighed and said, “Never mind.”

If all that weren’t frustrating enough, I had a trip to Germany and the Netherlands planned. My ears always tend to hurt with the pressure on the airplane so I expected that this trip would be so much worse because of the fluid. However, about a week before my trip my ears got better.

I had just walked my class in the classroom to start our day. We were standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and I got a little tickle in my throat. I coughed in between “and to the republic” and “for which it stands”. The kids’ voices suddenly got louder. I stopped the pledge for a moment and just listened, in shock. One of my ears had “opened up”. I moved through my morning very cautiously, not wanting to even move my head. Later that morning, I yawned, and the other one cleared. I can honestly tell you that that was one of the happiest moments in my life. To hear things loud and clear was amazing.

This past month I’ve heard some “whooshing” in my ear when I sneeze or blow my nose. Luckily they haven’t clogged up (knock on wood). I don’t want to go through that again.

A Trip of a Lifetime (Updated**)

I love to travel. Since I’ve been blogging I’ve posted about my trip to Africa here, here, and here, and my trip to Italy here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I don’t have any trips planned this year. My hope is to save some money and do a trip to South America next year during spring and summer break. I would like to enroll in a language school down there for both vacations and do a little exploring while I’m at it.

Other than that, my travel wishes are really to go anywhere and see everything. My dream trip, though, would be a trip around the world. In fact, there are airline programs out there that allow you to do just that – purchase an “around the world” ticket. The ticket is purchased based on the estimated number of miles traveled. Then, as long as you stay moving in the same direction, you can fly around the world. Of course there are few stipulations about number of stops and the ticket has to be used within a year.

Someday, when I marry rich and no longer have to work, I’m going to buy myself one of those tickets, and with only my departing flight booked, set out for an unplanned adventure, going where I want, staying as long as I want. Doesn’t that sound fantastic?

Every-so-often I pull up the STAR Alliance website and use their travel planner to plan “my trip”. My most recent intinerary includes the following…

Los Angeles –> Chicago where I would spend some time sightseeing as I have never been there before.

Chicago –> Dublin I’ve been to Ireland before, but it is a wonderful country and I would go back in a heartbeat. Here I would travel around this country and then head, via ferries and buses, through Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England, ending up in London where I would spend some time visiting one of my favorite cities.

London –> Madrid I would travel through Spain and Portugal. I’ve never been and both are at the top of my list.

Madrid –> Zagreb I have heard that Croatia is a beautiful place. From there, I would spend some time traveling on bus or train through Eastern Europe.

Zagreb –> Athens After visiting ancient ruins and gorgeous islands in Greece I’d take a ferry to Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul –> to Cape Town Another one of my favorite cities. I spent about a week in South Africa two years ago, but there was so much more I wanted to see.

Cape Town –> Windhoek Namibia is a top priority on my travel list. On one of my other travels, someone told me that Namibia is the best country to visit in Africa.

Windhoek—> Perth I’ve never been to Australia. Of course I couldn’t go without visiting Hula Hank in Perth.

Perth –> Auckland I’ve heard nothing but good things about New Zealand.

Auckland –> Sydney for a few days sightseeing the landmarks of Australia.

Sydney –> Kona The flight back to Los Angeles is awfully long so a stop over/visit at my mom’s house would be nice.

Kona—> Los Angeles Back home.

There you have it…my dream trip around the world. Traveling without an itinerary sounds like so much fun and having the time to do the touristy things as well as spend time like a local sounds amazing.
**Jason was surprised that that was it, and that would be surprised because if I could I would go anywhere and everywhere. However, on this special around the world flight, you are only allowed 16 segments. Some of the smaller airports actually take up 2-3 segments so you are very limited. Believe you me, if it were just open, the list would be a lot longer.

Part of me wants to go by myself. How nice it would be to just go as and where I please without worrying about someone else. On the other hand, although I’m a pretty brave person, sometimes I’m a bit chicken to try new things without a partner in crime. Someday though, I will do it, I might be retired by then, but I will do it!

Do you like to travel? Where have you been? What is your dream trip?

I Have A Question(s)…

There was an 8.8 earthquake in Chile over the weekend.  An 8.8!  I live in “earthquake country” and that is HUGE!  In January, there was a big earthquake in Haiti; a 7.0 that caused incredible damage.  The one in Chile was 1.8 higher on the Richter scale than the one in Haiti.  A 7.0 is classified as a “major” earthquake (32 megatons of seismic energy), while an 8.8 is classified a “great” earthquake (15.8 gigatons of seismic energy).  An 8.8 is scary.

So, these are my questions…
Where is the day and night news coverage of the devastation?  Where are the hoards of people helping with the rescue efforts of those trapped and missing?  Where is George Clooney and the rest of Hollywood raising money for the relief efforts? 

I do understand that Chile was better prepared for an earthquake than Haiti was and that Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas.  Haiti’s destruction and death toll is horrific, and I’m not making light of it.  However, my point is that I was hard pressed to find out information on the 8.8 in Chile after it occurred without digging around online.  Other than the regular evening news (after the “Stormwatch” for our incoming rainstorm), there wasn’t any coverage.  Even the news channels continued with their regular programming without interrupting for information. 

Why is it media coverage is so overwhelming with some news and virtually nonexistent for other news?  I know that they can not possibly cover every newsworthy event on the planet, but it would be nice if the media’s coverage was more even. 

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

I’m Not Really “Crafty”

Other than the crazy chair project that nearly killed me (my back is still recovering), I’m not much into crafts. I don’t make “things”. I like to buy my things.

What I do like is to draw, paint, and make cards. Maybe the better term would be artsy.

I thought I’d share some of my “art” with you. It may or may not be good in your eyes, but that’s ok. I’m not posting them to be told they are or are not. I don’t do it for anybody else, except myself, with the exception of my cards which I do make for others. It’s a creative outlet for me, which, I guess, is all that matters.

About ten years or so ago I started working with watercolor. I love watercolor because I think it’s more forgiving. I play with other mediums as well, but I have the most fun with watercolors. Most of the time I sketch with a permanent pen and watercolor that. Sometimes, though, I experiment with other styles.

I’ve also been journaling for a few years now. I like that the work is kept in books and easier to store. Plus the commitment is less due to it’s size. The journals tend to be more personal so I’m just sharing a few that aren’t.

I also really enjoy art journaling when I travel. Here are some that I’ve done from my recent trips through Europe and Africa.

When I need a quick creative fix, I’ll make some cards. They are pretty easy to hammer out when I don’t have a lot of time. I also like that I can use them for others. I use them as greeting cards, but I also make sets and use them as gifts.

Is there anything you do as a creative outlet?

My First Q & A

I enjoy reading other blogger’s posts answering questions from their readers. I had never thought much about doing it myself, but some of my many few readers have asked some questions that I felt like answering. So, here we go…

Hula Hank asked, “BTW did you ever find balls?”
It is illegal to distribute or sell silver balls or dragees in California. We couldn’t find them anywhere and I was too chicken to acquire them by illegal means. Therefore my cookies were sans dragees.

My cookies were delicious but not as pretty as they would have been with silver balls.

After reading A Facebook Convo, Unknown Mami wondered, “What the hell is a Brazilian blowout? An oxymoron?”
Ha! Ha! I know right? That was our reaction when we first heard about it at lunch the other day. The visuals that appeared in our minds were certainly comical. However, a Brazilian Blowout is actually a hair (on your head) restorative treatment that builds back the proteins that are lost due to heated styling (hair dryer, flat iron, etc.). It makes your hair smooth even when just blowing dry or air drying. They are pretty pricey, but a salon in town is having a 1/2 off special so I’m going to give it a try. I’m pretty low maintenance (in the style sense, not in the mental sense, as I wouldn’t want anyone I know to question that statement) but I have never had a hair style that doesn’t take forever to style. I don’t have bone straight hair or wavy/curly hair, my hair is just blah. I’m hoping this will make my life easier. I’ll keep you posted.

My good friend Jill had a question about my Eight television choices, “I like your list but are you not watching Castle? I think you'd love it! It's my favorite and where are your HBO shows?”
Ugh, I know! I watch way too much TV and I completely forgot about my HBO/Showtime shows like Weeds, Californication, Entourage, The Tudors, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Hung, and Nurse Jackie. As for Castle, I have recorded them and watched a couple. The rest are saved on my DVR. I just need to find the time to watch them.

Grandma J also questioned my television shows, “BTW, have you submitted your application yet for BB12? :))”
Oh GJ, I say this as lovingly as possible, "You’re crazy!” That is the last show I’d be on. Sure, I watch it, but with my aversion to cameras it would be my worst nightmare. It might be kind of nice to lay around the house for 3 months, but I’d rather do it at my house. Plus, they don’t have a television.

The Glass Dragonfly wondered, “Do you know where you want to live abroad?” after reading Eight.
The short answer is – anywhere! and everywhere!
The long answer is – I would like to live abroad either to teach (work or volunteer) or to become fluent in Spanish. Europe, Africa, or South America are top on my list of places. Two things are holding me back. The first, it’s scary to move somewhere new when you don’t know a soul. Even more so when that place doesn’t speak the same language as I do. Second, I have a dog, a job, a mortgage, and responsibilities that make it hard to just pick up and move to another country. I know that these are both excuses, but that’s what is holding me back. Every couple months or so I research how I go about it, so maybe one of these days I will actually pull the trigger. Is there anywhere else you’d like to live? Why?

The Gman asked, “Wait, college in the seacoast of New Hampshire...as in UNH? i spent a few nights in McLaughlin Hall,” after reading My First Try At Winter.
Yes! UNH! I lived in Stoke for two years and off campus, across the street from the Tavern, for two years. I loved it there. What years were you visiting? I was there from 91 – 95. Every so often, I miss Durham.

Life With Kaishon also had a winter question, “Would you ever want to live in a climate such as that again?”
If there was a reason to move to a place with four seasons, I would be fine with it. I, most llikely, wouldn’t pick up and move to that type of climate just for the fun of it, but it wouldn’t be the worse thing in the world if I had to go. What I actually disliked about living on the East Coast was the humidity in the summer. If it’s going to be hot, I’d prefer hot and dry.

Alright then, that was fun!