The 25th Hour ~karenjcardoza.com~

Tonight is the final Oprah webcast of Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. This book definitely makes you think about life and yourself in a much different way. I’ve never thought about the Ego is quite this way before. I’m definitely going to have to re-read it though because it is so deep and there’s a lot to digest. It’s the kind of book that requires full attention and my presence …. not my usual multi-tasking self. Meanwhile, I’m all tucked in and ready to go.

Spring is sprung but it felt like summer today! I took the girls on a nice long walk in woods, finished Merle’s Door which I’ve been trying to do all week, and read two shorties, Aquamarine, and Good Dog. Stay. this afternoon.

I’ve got a load on the line and all of my windows open. Just a taste of what’s to come… ahhhhhh, how I love summer! Al and Jake went out into the bay with the boat today and reported that it was just perfect out there as well.

Word is, tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous too! Overall, this has been one of the nicest April vacations we’ve had in a long time. I’ve gotten to take the girls out quite a bit and it’s nice to shed the sweaters!

I LOVE being home…just in case you haven’t figured that out yet. Yesterday, I went to the gym for a good workout then met Chel for a nice lunch in Providence. This morning, after their bloodwork I took the girls for a beautiful 2.5 mile spring walk at Lincoln Woods while Al jogged and Jake fished.

Today is a good day! My yardwork is done. I’m going to spend 2 hours (1 to make up for yesterday) working on the assessment, run some errands later today, then watch The Biggest Loser finale tonight! Go Ali!! She’s such an inspiration. Honestly, while I hope that she wins, they’re ALL WINNERS on that show. I’m so impressed by how much they’ve changed their lives and worked so hard to achieve their goals.

My calendar booked up quickly this week and while I initially only had plans on Thursday, I now have a commitment every day this week. So, while projects like repainting my bathroom may not get done, I’m going to make sure that I get a workout in every day and keep to my assessment schedule for the week.

I’m so thankful that I’m home… it’s definitely my favorite place to be.
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After some bumps along the road such as a blown up wordpress theme and link issues, I’m finally back up and running. So, the new home of my Book Nook is live. Very special thanks to Natasha of Maw Books for all of her help with the Now Reading plug in! I’m on Spring vacation so I’m hoping to get lots of reading done (in addition to everything else I want to do over the course of this week.)

To follow up, access to the Assessment website from work came up on Friday so I was able to work on it a lot that day. I’m setting aside 1 hour each day this week to work on it so that I can still have a vacation but put a dent in it as well.

I got a postcard yesterday informing me that my gym is opening tomorrow morning so the timing couldn’t be better for me. I’m still planning on taking the girls to the walking trail but will be able to get my own workout in at the gym too.

The weather has finally changed so today’s game plan is to get out in the yard for most of the afternoon. And of course, I’m sure I’ll be giving Jake rides so he can go fishing. Other than that, I’ll be working hard today then hitting the couch for John Adams and The Tudors tonight.

The weather is still cold and dreary but I’m spending my day in the most perfect way…

Haven’t been online much at all this week but have been really busy with appointments and commitments instead. The time that I did spend in front of the computer have been revamping my website and cleaning up lots of loose junk. In the process I must have deleted the corrupt file that was preventing me from updating the entire thing with a single push of a button. (/me does the Happy Dance!) It hasn’t worked since July and I’ve been forced to update each and every file manually which has been a total pain.

As for this weekend, I brought home my planbook and of course the Assessment stuff so I’ll have to spend some time tomorrow and Sunday on it. I also hope to get lots of reading done since I have many books that are due on March 3rd that can’t be renewed again. Plus, I’m currently reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose and will be doing the online class beginning Monday night along with Oprah’s Book Club so I want to read more of it first.

NFL Free Agency period has started and the moves are starting so a podcast is imminent, but for now, I’m TOTALLY psyched about Tedy Bruschi and Lonie Paxton’s re-signings. ( I should just do a show now, but my pillow is calling so it’ll have to wait a bit.)

So… usual Cinderella stuff planned for the weekend and things are pretty status quo around here. TGIF!
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Early Sunday morning and the dogs are playing while I wait for the coffee to brew. Vacation week went by really fast (as they always do) and it was a good one save for one thing. I was going to post midweek but started to write it then had to leave to give Jake a ride. So, the draft sat there but I decided to delete it because it was extremely negative and re-reading it only dragged me down. Of course, it was about how I was feeling at that point, due to the Assessment. I’m not going to get into it here but let’s just say it was the low-point of my week.

Other than that, it was a good week and I did get to accomplish a lot of what I set out to do.

• I exercised most days and while an hour walking on the treadmill was long and boring it’s what I need to do since running is out. (I’ll be jumping on for the Long, Slow, Burn after this post and my morning cuppa.) I’ve begun lifting weights again (gently… don’t want to re-injure my back) and doing some deep yoga stretching after my walk which is loosening things up nicely. Scott would be proud.

• One of my goals was to get rid of the pee-pee pads and be diligent about taking Chloe out so as not give her the opportunity to have any accidents in the house. While the weather was not the most cooperative and I made lots of trips outside in the rain at the beginning of the week and icy snow at the end, she’s getting the concept that it’s not OK to pee in the house. I haven’t cleaned a puddle all week, and while she’s not ready yet to “tell me”when she’s got to go out, if I keep a close eye on her, I can catch her sniffing and head her off at the pass.

• I did manage to get some reading in, and although I didn’t finish any books, I put a dent in my magazine pile and made progress in The Freedom Writer’s Diary. I also started A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and will be joining in with the rest of the Oprah Book Clubbers for the online seminar beginning on March 3rd. For my final day of vacation, I would love to just lounge out and read, read, read!

• Jake’s wrestling season has come to an end, so by mommycab duties will now be reduced greatly. It’s time to start heading out with him to practice driving since he’s gotten his permit but has been so busy and hasn’t had a chance to get behind the wheel yet.

• Managed to do a closet purge and got rids of lots of things that just don’t fit or I don’t wear anymore. Nice to have room in there! I need to hit up the cabinets this week as well.

Yesterday, I attended NewBCamp in Providence. It was the first un-conference that was geared towards the real beginner. It was a small group but was manageable since most folks were starting from the ground up. I ended up being a mentor in one of the sessions and explained blogging and podcasting and helped someone set up her first blog. Many of the people there were brand new to computing and used it for email and the occasional google search only, so I give them a lot of credit for coming out to learn something that was completely foreign to them and for trying to understand the online world of their children and grandchildren. (Photos tagged Newbcamp are here.)

After it was over, we headed to AS220 where Matthew Ebel played for 90 minutes. As always he put on a great show and gained quite a few new fans along the way. All of the women that I walked back to the car with had never heard him before and raved about his music and stage presence the whole way. I have a feeling that more than one Beer and Coffee and Goodbye Planet Earth CD are being played today for the first time. Here are some great shots by Chris Penn. (I was trying to embed one here but Flickr is not cooperating for me on this computer.. can’t see any embed links.)

Got lots I want to squeeze in to this final day but for now… more coffee!

newbcamp matthewebel anewearth freedomwritersdiary technology todolist

So, while I’m still sad about the Patriots loss, I’m getting over it and moving on. I’m sure these kids are thrilled but I must say , it pains me to see it!

Patriot Nation is reeling this week but not because of living in the past, rather, over the 10% - 51% ticket price increase for the upcoming season. Folks are feeling that WE are paying for those fines incurred as the result of Spygate. Speaking of which, someone on the Rams filed a 100 million dollar lawsuit against the Pats for taping their Superbowl 36 walk through. Sigh… I so hate drama and unfortunately I think there will be more before it finally gets put to bed.

On a happier note, I’m now on February vacation and will be out of school all next week. And while I’m not going away or doing anything fun, I’m glad to be home. I’ve got lots to do and NEED this week to get them done. So here’s the game plan:

• Catch up on Alternate Assessment portfolios for my students. (This is the biggie.)
• Go back to square one and diligently housebreak Chloe and get rid of the pee pads now that she’s older and the weather is warming up. (I’ll be washing all of my floors then going strictly by the book in terms of taking her out then not letting her roam free to play with Bella unless she’s just gone. It’s hard for me to keep her crated when I’m home but I’ll have to do it for the week so that she doesn’t have any accidents.
• Drive my son back and forth to daily wrestling practice.
• Get lesson plans done for 2 weeks and set up outline for the rest of March.
• Exercise daily.
• Read a book or two. (Currently reading The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell. I saw the movie and loved it so I’m enjoying reading the book which is a collection of the actual kids’ essays.) And Fluff reading: The 6th Target by James Patterson. I’ve got a stack of mags that I’d like to whittle away too.)
• If I didn’t have so much school stuff to do, I would love to paint my bathroom but it will likely have to wait unti April vacation.
• Of course, the usual weekly chores, errands, and stuff needs to get done as well.

So, while “a whole week off” sounds like a long time, it really isn’t and will fly by. I definitely have no choice about getting the Alternate Assessment done so I’ll be jumping right in and unplugging to get it done as it’s priority #1.

Wish me luck!!