It will BE a brighter day

 

Purple tulips

After a harrowing week, I decided that Saturday would be quiet and calm.  Although a few chores must be accomplished if I am do my usual work next week, I’m trying to make it easy on my self. 

I had hoped for a sunny, bright day but it has become overcast and chilly, but this time I knew to dress as if it’s still winter.  I’ve got my long pants, socks, and hoodie on to keep me snug.  While working on grades and lesson plans, I’ve opened up iTunes and found some music to make me happy.  I bought some purple tulips at Whole Foods this morning and they make a nice splash in the family room.  I have them sitting on a table under a Georgia Okeeffe poster that my daughter gave me for Christmas.  It all makes me smile.  And, I need those smiles right now.

Georgia & the tulips

A personal life is too hard

How do people manage a busy personal life along with a job?  This week was  a killer due to too much personal stuff on my part.  I cannot do all these things and manage to work a 60 hour week.

In addition to the death in the family, I had a small dinner party, and a doctor’s appointment.  All these ate into the time I usually give to work.  So, the work suffered.  But work had some major hurdles in addition to my regularly scheduled program. I had three major meetings at school, one from 4 to 7 on Thursday.  We had a field trip and an assembly to add more fun to the scheduling.  Then I’m using a prep period to coach two boys for a competition in another week.  One of the guys decided it was too much and got sick and missed today.  The girl I was counting on to take pictures and get a page done in yearbook has been out sick all week.  The multimedia class is learning how to use Windows Movie Maker, which is an unknown quantity to me so I am learning right along with them.

So, how do people have time for a personal life?  I sure don’t, especially not during the week.  Can we plan those extra things for the weekend?  Oh, wait, I want to do laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking on those two days.

A review for Digital Media Academy

A few years back, another teacher and I went to Stanford University for Digital Media Academy camps.  She did a class for Final Cut Pro and I took digital photography.  We actually lived on campus for the week and had so much fun.  And, we learned a lot.  My partner had to work much harder than I did, but we both felt that the week was really worth it.  I’m still using the material I got from that week’s class.

A few days ago I received an email from Digital Media Academy asking me to write a short blurb about my experience.  For doing so, I would receive an iTunes card.  I immediately wrote the piece, and you can read it here.

If you have time and money, I highly recommend these classes.  They are the best investment you can make.

La Cocina

After  a flurry of pie-making, one of my friends will usually make a comment that goes something like this, “You should go into the pie-making business.”  I have no desire to make huge quantities of pies, but even if I did, it would be illegal for me to do so.  Did you know that you cannot sell food you have made unless it is cooked in a licensed, commercial kitchen?  We don’t have  those here in Fresno.  Heck, we don’t have much of anything innovative here in Fresno.  We talk about doing something, but it doesn’t happen.  We are an ag town and probably always will be.  San Francisco, however, is an innovative place.  I guess they have to be since they had to twice rebuild from earthquakes and fires.  San Francisco has such an innovative place for women to make food for sale.  It’s call La Cocina.

From La Cocina's website

 

 

La Cocina is the kind of place where I would like to work.  Doing something innovative. Helping others. Teaching entrepreneurship.  Using my marketing skills.  And of course, working in a fabulous city.  But, I digress.  La Cocina, located in the Mission District, is an incubator for low income women who want to launch a food business.  It provides the space and the assistance so that women can become self-supporting with their food.   La Cocina also rents out its commercial kitchen to other businesses who wouldn’t qualify as low-income but still need a place to prepare foods.  What a great place to help people from all walks of life do what they love and be successful at it.  Plus, there’s all that good food.

Rushing the season

My mother always used that expression when I tried to wear clothing that was definitely for the next season.  I did that yesterday.  After two glorious sun-filled days, I thought Saturday would be the same so I put on capri pants (still black, though) and my backless Cole Hahn mules.  I was tired of wearing socks and boots.  As a nod to the fact it’s still winter, I threw on a hoodie, just like my students wear.

The sun never came out and it stayed cool all day.  Although warm in my own toasty little house, I froze everywhere else I went.  By the end of the day, I was so cold that only a hot shower would warm me up.  I learned my lesson:  it’s still winter, dress like it.

It’s been a very good week

Ah, Friday. Don’t you love ‘em?  I’m usually so tired by this time on Fridays that I just want to fall on the couch and wait for the maid to bring my dinner to me.  Or, sometimes I am so tired I don’t even care if the maid has made dinner because I’m not hungry.  Not so today.  We are going to give the maid the night off and we are going out to dinner at a fairly new neighborhood restaurant.  I may even drink a glass of wine!

Perhaps having Monday off and going to lunch with my girlfriends helped.  

I also got the new John Grisham book and have made great headway.  I’ve actually gotten a few pages read because I haven’t fallen asleep so early.  Of course, I didn’t get up until 5:30 Thursday morning.  I was very bad.  

My multimedia students are doing a good job on web pages.  You would think they actually have a teacher who knows what she’s doing.  

The yearbook received two more ads which meant more money in our account.  Maybe someday I’ll have enough to pay the bill for the book.

My income taxes are done and submitted for automatic refund.  Of course, California is giving me an IOU, but the legislature did get a budget passed and I’ll get to pay more in sales tax, car tax, and receive fewer services.  

Progress reports were handed out today and most of my seniors have straight As or close to.  I have two with almost straight Fs, but we won’t let them get me down.  I figured out awhile back that I cannot save everyone and even Jesus had one failure out of 12.  I certainly don’t think myself better than Jesus.

I updated my resume and submitted it for a job I would love to have.  I’m dreaming big.

The sun is shining and the first daffodils bloomed in the front yard this week.  Yes, it’s been a very good week.

First daffodils

 

 

Everything in this post is true, except the maid part.  Another big dream.

My photo gets picked

This photo was chosen by Schmap for its San Francisco photo guide.  I took it last summer while we were staying in our sublet apartment and uploaded it at my Flickr site.

 

Coit Tower in San Francisco

I was pleased to know that there are others who will enjoy this great view.  Thank you Schmap.

It was a party

The senior marketing class executes two events each year, a fashion show in the fall and a Valentine’s party in the spring.  They plan, all the way from invitations to clean up, as well as provide food and decorations.  

The kids did a good job this year.  I only wish more adults on campus would attend.  The counselors all came this year, but no vice principal nor the principal.  Although they are supposed to make so many class visitations, they didn’t make one that would have been educational and fun.  If anyone wants to hire an event planner, I have some students who could qualify.

Student-made cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's eat

Siren call of the blackberries

The apples are still on the counter…the organic blackberries at Whole Foods called out to me this morning.  

So I made a cobbler instead of a pie.

 

Blackberry cobbler

long time, no pie

I have these apples sitting on my counter.  They are a collection from the past few CSA produce boxes.  I think it’s time to make a pie.