The 25th Hour ~karenjcardoza.com~

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!

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

New England is in the midst of a huge rainstorm and my front yard is like a swamp. The storm cloud is overhead but not just outside. Sometimes I’m just in a funk… I call it the Funk Fog rolling in. I’m in the midst of a storm right now. Just too many things to do to catch up with in work, and the day to day grind is getting to me. (Note to self: Don’t fall down the stairs and get a back injury that puts you out of work for 6 weeks and still have to get the dreaded Alternate Assessment done on time.) I’ve got lots on my mind, feeling fat, and it’s raining… At least Chloe doesn’t mind the storm..

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

Sometimes things just work out according to plan. Yesterday was one of those days. On Friday, I laid out my game plan for the week and was anxious to jump right in. My day started before dawn as always. After taking the girls out and getting the coffee going, I checked email quickly then bundled them up for a brisk, early morning walk. It was just what we all needed; tiring them out and energizing me for my day ahead. I put them in their crates for a nap and did a thorough cleaning of my house, including washing my floors (on hands and knees no less!) and starting my laundry.

One of my goals for this week was to go back to square 1 and embark on Housebreaking 101. I took Chloe out many, many times yesterday but she didn’t have a single accident in the house. So, we’re at 100% thus far. It really is a matter of being on top of her every move and not allowing her the freedom to play and hang out unless she’s just gone to the bathroom. I’ve been lax in that and was giving her too much freedom. (Of course, getting her in the dead of winter when she was less than 2 pounds didn’t help. It was too cold to take her out and she swam in every sweater, so I used the pee-pee pads which told her it was ok to go in the house. Now that she’s a bit older and bigger, it’s strictly outside from now on.)

With a clean house, I was able to work on Lesson Plans all afternoon and I’m almost done. I’ve just got a little bit to do today then I’ll be able to put them away until I head back to school next Monday. I was even able to read a magazine and a couple of chapters of a book.

At night, we headed over to Twin River for dinner at Fado’s and for drinks and a show at The Lighthouse Bar. Bruce in the USA was playing and it was unbelievably good. The group is a Springsteen tribute band and it was amazing how much they looked and sounded like the E Streeters. The place was rocking and they played for 3 hours straight. It was a great night and perfect ending to a most productive day.

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!!

Just an FYI if you happened over to Patriotworld.com, I’m having a Frontpage error problem so I can’t get in to fix the border issue. I’m waiting for my host to locate the missing file which will allow my FP Extensions to work and let me fix it. (Sorry, if you’ve been trying to access it this weekend.)

I’m sooo thankful that I decided to take a breather from getting involved with the Superbowl re-hash conversations. I don’t have the time or energy to invest in all of the negative talk going on right now on message boards and email lists. I’ll be back when the talks turn to the 2008 season prep. I’m not into beating the dead horse.

Last night, we took a bus trip to Foxwoods and had a good time with friends MJ & Louie. Can’t beat the price on a trip like that. $30 gets you the transportation plus tickets for the $19 buffet, and $20 in Keno cards. We’re not big gamblers so it was a cheap night out for us, especially since I hit $160 on Keno when I checked my tickets on the way out the door. It more than made up for what we put in the machines and our drink at the Hard Rock Cafe.

This is how I spent my birthday morning… looks like torture doesn’t it?!

Some quickies for today:

• I’m probable on this week’s injury report and have been cleared to return to work next Wednesday! Yippee!!
• I posted a mini-podcast this morning as the Pats continue on their Path to Perfection.
• Chloe is home and is adorable (despite rank puppy breath!) and she and Bella have turned this place into a Puppy Wrestling Ring! There’s been lots of rough housing as they sort out just who’s going to be the top dog around here (after me of course!) Despite Bella’s size and age, Chloe’s tenacity and determination just may win her that top spot.
• I’m getting ready to flip Chloe over since she’s got the day and night thing mixed up like many newborns do …. She’s up crying all night and I haven’t slept a wink.
• Don’t forget to don your PEAvatars today for Frozen Pea Friday #2 and if you have yet to donate and want to make a last minute 2007 tax deduction, today is the perfect day!
• Heading out to get my hair done and it’ll be the first time that I venture out and drive since that fateful fall on November 26th.

patriots mrsb patriotworld karenjcardoza frozenpeafund breastcancer susanreynolds podcast podcasting puppy chihuahua bella chloe peavatar