I thought the mailbox was bad

There is a house being built right next door. Sometimes, it can be a real pain. Like this summer when my mailbox was run over by a cement truck. Or like today:

Just moments ago I was driving home thinking about how I was feeling like it was time to blog but couldn't really think of anything to write about. Well, I turned onto my street and noticed a large object in my yard. I wasn't completely shocked because anytime there is a slight breeze I get all kinds of trash in my yard and today there is much more than a slight breeze out there. As I got closer I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of a port-o-potty, turned over, in my yard.


I also enjoyed hearing the laughs of the construction crew next door when they realized I was actually taking a picture of the turned over toilet.

I suppose God wanted me to have something to blog about, or at least laugh at, so He sent an extra blustery day my way. And a port-o-potty.

Any ideas how to get rid of it?

Where do I sign?

This Thursday I am going to do something very exciting and kind of scary at the same time. I am going to get to play Paintball for the first time. While I am aware that there is some level of risk associated with being shot with a high-powered ball of paint, I wasn't quite prepared for what I read in the "Release/Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk. I found #2 to be particularly eye-opening:

"The Undersigned...is aware of the possibility of risks of injury, including, but not limited to, falling, tripping, being hurt by a wild animal, snake bite, heat stroke, heart attack, hypothermia, getting lost in the wilderness, being shot by hunters, insect bites & stings, poisonous plants, improper use or operation of equipment by the undersigned or any other player and others not following the safety rules. The possibility of permanent disability or death does exist."

Great! Where exactly do I sign my life away?

Ok-seriously, my brother, the lawyer, would tell me not to sign this sort of thing. But, I really am looking forward to the paintball experience! If you haven't heard from me in a couple days be aware that I may have suffered from hypothermia, I may be lost in the wilderness, or (my favorite) I may have been shot by hunters!

My iPhone commercial

Have you seen the iPhone commercials where real people tell us why the iPhone has made their life so much better? Everytime I see one, I think to myself, what would I say if I ever had the opportunity to shoot my own commercial? I wouldn't want to admit that for me, one of the best benefits has been that I can check my "home" email from school, or maybe read a few blogs.

Today, however, I feel like the iPhone may have saved Christmas! There are two items that I spent the better part of today searching for. I went to Target, Best Buy, another Target, Toys R' Us, Walmart, and another Best Buy and struck out at all six places. I know that today is Saturday (a busy day for shopping) and I still have 10 days until Christmas so there is a high probability that one of those stores would have my items in stock at some point before the big day. I just don't have the time to check their inventory daily.

I was truly enjoying my adventure of hunting down a highly sought after gift, but I decided I better not take the chance of not ever finding them. So, after my second Best Buy did not have what I was looking for, I went back to the car and ordered the items online from my phone. Normally, I would have just waited until I got home but I didn't want the internet to be out of them either! As if the internet is a store! :) Now, I just get to sit on pins and needles and hope they arrive in time!

Randomness

I have had several random (or are they?) thoughts lately:

Randomness #1
It is no secret that I spend way too much time thinking, worrying, dwelling on things. Sometimes this is not a good thing and sometimes I get something out of it.

Last night, I was talking with a friend about a couple situations where two seemingly happy, healthy people had their entire lives changed in an instant. We're talking major, difficult, painful life change. Not like a new job or a new puppy kind of life change. I tucked these situations into the back of my mind and they have been at the forefront of my thoughts for the better part of this afternoon. I have been blessed abundantly in my life and while it has had its challenging moments I can honestly say that I have never had to endure such an extreme experience like these.

Thinking on this led me to this conclusion: I have spent way too much time lately complaining or worrying about other people's actions and other stuff I have absolutely no control over. I have not spent nearly enough time worrying about my words, actions, and reactions. I have not spent enough time enjoying the people and things God has put in my life. And, I have not spent enough time enjoying God and His goodness. Here's to hoping that begins to change!

Randomness #2
Baylor hired a new football coach this week. His name is Art Briles and he comes to us from the University of Houston. This seems like a really smart hire and once again pride in the Baylor Bears has been restored. Here's a picture of Coach Briles being introduced at a basketball game the other night. There are three things to note, the first being Art Briles shirt, what a cool guy to put on a "Bear Pit" jersey before his big introduction. Secondly, it appears that he has already been practicing his "Sic'em Bears." Lastly, check out President Lilley's shoes! Those are so cool, I definitely want some. Now I can't wait for football season to begin again!


Randomness #3
I think this is one cookbook I don't want to see when I visit someone's house for dinner. It totally cracked me up though.


Randomness #4
My outside Christmas lights are complete. I know the anticipation has just been killing you, let the drive-bys begin! :)

The Terminator (I mean exterminator)

Today is the first day of a lovely week for me! I get the whole week off of school and it's Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. While I don't have any super exciting plans I just know it's going to be a great week! I started the week by catching up on my sleep and according to my calculations, I slept for about 14 hours last night! Crazy!!

All was going well this morning until I realized I had some house guests; wasps. That's right, I woke up this morning to 5 big, ugly, red wasps flying around my house. To say that I'm not a fan of bugs would be a huge understatement. And now I've got a whole family of mean, stinging bugs living in my house. I left the house a couple hours ago in hopes that when I return they will somehow all magically disappear. Just in case that's wishful thinking, I stopped at Home Depot to get some "flying insect" killer. As soon as I find a gas mask, a parka, and some very thick gloves I'm going in. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I really feel bad for them

Is anyone else worried that Hollywood is going to shut down and we won't get to enjoy new episodes of our favorite TV shows? I know I just feel terrible for those poor writers. I'm really glad that all the actors are getting in the act and walking the picket lines too, what solidarity!

It's a shame that there are people in this world who work really hard and don't get paid what they think they should. I heard the other night on Entertainment Tonight that TV show writers make about $250,000 a year and their just looking for a fair deal. I know my heart just aches for them. Nevermind the fact that thousands of children, in the United States alone, are homeless and malnourished, or the countless families that have been bankrupted by unexpected medical bills, or the single-parents working two or three jobs just to keep the lights on. These writers, they deserve so much more.

It kind of reminds me of the great Major League Baseball strike a couple years ago, or even more recently the NHL strike. Whatever happened to going to work and working hard because you are doing something you enjoy? I'm sure this will all get settled soon, I just heard that Bill Clinton has offered to be a mediator for the situation. Maybe while they are working out a new deal that will give writers a few more cents a month they can finally nail down a definition of "is."

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go ahead and step off my soapbox now. :)

Seriously??

I had the great privilege of going to Walmart this afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I was greeted by a cute little snowman instead of the spooky looking mummy that has been at the door for the last month or so! Yesterday was Halloween, and I guess I failed to realize that Christmas is the next holiday!! It seriously looks like they had little elves working all night to transform Walmart into a Christmas wonderland. It kind of makes me sad because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

For any of you who haven't heard yet, there are 54 days until Christmas. I'm really running out of time so, if you need me this weekend, I'll be in my yard putting up the Christmas lights!

New Slogan

Did you hear that Walmart just changed their slogan? Instead of "Always Low Prices," they went with "Save Money. Live Better." I know that makes me want to shop there even more. Actually, it kind of makes me feel like their mocking my inability to save money!! I digress. The real point of this post was to give the Walmart execs a whole new slogan to consider, "Always A Bizarre Experience."

Every time I go to Walmart something really strange happens. Tonight was no different! I was really enjoying Grey's Anatomy (actually it wasn't that exciting) and I remembered some things I needed to get for school tomorrow. So, as soon as Grey's was over I headed to Walmart. I was only there for about 30 minutes and I had three bizarre experiences in that short time.

Bizarre Experience #1
This probably doesn't qualify as bizarre, but more of an observation. As I was walking around the store I was amazed at how many small children were there. I understand the busyness of a working person and not being able to get your shopping done until 9 o'clock, but is it really a good idea for the kids to be out too? I actually was just told yesterday how detrimental losing just one hour of sleep can be for child! I think I'm going to start encouraging my students to be in bed by 7:30! I'll tell them it's the cool thing to do!

Bizarre Experience #2
As I was walking up to the checkout line the cashier was chewing on some food. She practically begged me not to turn her in for eating on the job. I assured her that it really didn't bother me as long as she didn't start eating my food! :) She apparently felt like I was the run-to-her-boss-and-tell-on-her kind of person because she just would not let it go. She really wanted me to understand what it was like to only have a 15 minute break to eat and she just needed that one bite. I kind of felt bad for her, because I know all too well what it is like to only have 15 minutes (or less) to eat!

Bizarre Experience #3
Once I leave the eating cashier's line and head towards the door I notice a man standing in line at one of the other checkout lines. First of all, the little blue tooth wireless headsets for cell phones totally crack me up, good for those people seeking safety and convenience, but have you ever watched someone in their car and it looks like they are having a very in depth conversation with themselves? It's good stuff! Anyway, I see this guy and instead of a nice little sleek headset he's got this big ol' honkin' wirey setup. It was like one of those headsets that people who sit in an office and answer phones all day wear. Gigantic earphone, speaker, and all. I was actually laughing (out-loud) to myself as I walked out of the store. Then as if God was saying, "You shouldn't laugh at people," I started cough/choking. It made me laugh even more. Then my cell phone rang and I was saved!

Walmart, it's a crazy place.

At a loss

Once again, I'm at a loss for blog material. This will have to do...

At the moment, I'm quite frustrated with my computer. I have spent several (really too many to count) hours trying to create "Science Licenses" for my classes. I made them take a test over the Scientific Method and our Science Safety Rules, and in order to earn their license they had to make at least a 90 on it. It is kind of like a Driver's License, you need it to drive, so you need your Science License to participate in Science experiments. For some reason Microsoft Word is not working quite right on my computer. It litterly takes forever, when I started this little project it was still Summer, now it is Fall. Do you see what I mean? My plan was just to print them on business card paper for quickness and neatness. I just finished my first 10 out of 60, I went to print them and they were all messed up. They don't line up with the perforations on the paper. I'm giving up for tonight. I will just tell the kids who have been begging for their licenses that it's like getting a real license, it takes a couple weeks for them to send it to you. :)

On a brighter note, I have had a really great weekend! I made it to 7 baseball games yesterday, all of them very entertaining. Unfortunately, I will be unable to make it to any games next weekend. I hope I don't disappoint anybody! I also went to the mall and out to eat with a great friend. The highlight of the evening for sure though was learning that an optimal pool shape is indeed five concentric circles. Then today I went to church and got to spend the evening with great friends again. We went and saw "Hairspray." It's definitely an interesting movie, but I don't know that it's going on my must-see-again list. It was still a very fun time though! :)

Now, this is a big week. It is the one week out of the football season that I set myself up for the sweetest victory or the most disappointing defeat. Just for fun and to get some of my good friends all fired up, I'll leave you with this:

Postal Peace Restored

About three weeks ago I came home from school to find this:


I was really quite bothered by the sight of my nice brick and mortar mailbox leveled. I immediately wondered who I made mad enough to take a bulldozer to my mailbox. I was a little in shock. I mean I had so many questions...How? Why? How much will it cost to fix? Will the mailman deliver to the ground?

It was really a rough few moments until I made it to the front door. I soon discovered a business card slipped between the door and the door post. Apparently, a concrete truck pouring a foundation next door backed into it trying to get into position. I was really relieved that it wasn't an act of vandalism, and perhaps, more relieved that I wasn't going to have to pay for it. After a couple weeks of hunting down the right people to fix it, I now have a new mailbox and all is right with my mail again.

It may be time...

I think it might be time for me to take a little break from my favorite beverage, Diet Coke. I don't know what it is they put in the stuff but somehow, it just makes everything better. I don't drink coffee so I usually start my day with a little Diet Coke action. Something happened this morning though that makes me think it might be time to take a break.

I bought a Diet Coke from the machine at school this morning and went back to my classroom to get ready for the day. A few minutes after being back I opened up the bottle and took a drink. Almost immediately I felt a sharp, burning pain in my stomach. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. This pain was soon followed by light-headedness and a nauseous feeling. I seriously thought I was going to pass out. Luckily, I had about ten minutes before the bell rang, otherwise I may have been in big trouble. I sat down and eventually things got a little better. I made sure to drink water the rest of the day but even that didn't feel quite right.

I was sure to tell my medical adviser (my Mom) about the situation. She asked me a series of questions and said, well, you might have some kind of ulcer or something. I have never had an ulcer before and really that just doesn't sound like something I need right now, so, I think I'm going to voluntarily switch to water for all my liquid needs. Hopefully, this change will help until whatever it is decides to go away. I'll keep you posted!

Wow!

I heard some news yesterday that honestly, made me a little depressed. Apple has introduced a whole new line of the latest and greatest in iPods. Along with all the new iPods came a $200 reduction in the price of the iPhone. So, basically I paid $100 a month to get my iPhone 2 months ago. I was really feeling almost sick about this so I tried not to think about it. Well, once again, Apple has amazed me. Steve (we're like bff), the CEO, announced today that he is giving a $100 credit to the Apple store for anyone who purchased an iPhone before yesterday. Can you believe that? Way to take care of the customers, man. I am very impressed by this level of service and you can bet I won't have any trouble spending my 100 bucks!! To read exactly what he said you can go here. Now let's see, do I still have my receipt?

Wanted: TP Bandits

My closest neighbors got their house toilet-papered pretty good last night. Imagine my surprise when I got home tonight (at about midnight) and my house had been attacked!! Based on my estimates only one roll of T.P. was used and it was much too tasteful to be the work of unsupervised kids. The list of people who know exactly which house is mine is not that big, so the questioning will begin tomorrow. If you have any information that could lead me to the TP Bandits please call the hotline, and perhaps you could be a part of Operation Don't Mess With Me!! :)

Sheet update

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the sheet situation. I really feel like ironing my sheets was a good idea. I slept great, the only problem was that I went to bed really late and got up really early. I don't know that I had adequate time to fully experience wrinkle-free sheets. Perhaps the most noticeable benefit was a significant decrease in "pillow-wrinkle" lines on my face when I woke up. :)

Bedlam

Bedlam is a good word to describe the way my bedroom normally looks. But, not any more my friends! I spent some serious time today cleaning out the closet, organizing my sock drawer, and I even made my bed. I am officially down to 5 days before I must return to work, so, I thought it would be a good idea to restore a little order to my life. You are probably asking yourself,"why is she blogging about this?" Well, I think I went a little too far today and it makes me laugh so maybe it will make you laugh too! I'm not really one to make my bed everyday, I just don't see the point. If I know you are coming over, sure I'll make it and I'll even let you believe that it's always made. :) I decided today that before I made my bed I was going to wash the sheets, don't worry this does happen regularly. The thing is, when they come out of the dryer they are all wrinkled really bad. Normally, this doesn't bother me, but today I decided I would do something about it. I ironed my sheets!! This may be completely normal, but it's really not normal where I come from. You should have seen me trying to get every last wrinkle out of the fitted sheet, it was quite entertaining. Not to mention it took awhile (I think I may have too much time on my hands). So, if you hurry, you can come check out what my bed looks like made, with absolutely no wrinkles. I'm so impressed I may just sleep on the couch!!

You never know

My Dad took the day off of work yesterday to do some work around his house. He was kind enough to mow my yard for me so I offered to take him out to dinner to say thanks. We decided to go to Fuddruckers. It worked out nicely because I didn't end up having to pay for dinner! :) Well, as I was dropping my Dad off after dinner he mentioned something to me that made me wonder who is actually reading this blog. He said, "You better not tell any of your students about your blog because it links to Haley's and hers says some pretty crazy stuff about you." I said, "Don't worry Dad. I promise that stuff is not true she's was just being crazy when I was over there the other night." Then, as I was driving home, I thought, "How did he even know about my blog?" I know I hadn't said a thing about it. It was crazy! It made me realize that you never know who's reading this.

Haley-my Dad says that's strike two. :)

No regrets

It has been just a little over a month since I did the unthinkable; I bought an iPhone. Those of you that know me well know that it is not unthinkable for me to spend an absurd amount of money on something that I really don't need. But, I can happily say that I have absolutely no regrets about this purchase. I love my iPhone. Perhaps the best thing about my new gadget is that having it only increased my cell phone bill by about $10 a month. I just got my first bill and I knew it would be a bit higher so in preparation I got rid of all the silly features on my home phone (a phone I never use). I am paying $10 more a month for my cell phone but $40 less for my home phone, so, it balances out to $30 a month in savings! According to my calculations, it will have paid for itself in a little over a year. Let's hope it's still working a little over a year from now! :)

Have you heard about Apple's latest creation, the iPhone Shuffle? It will be really small and when you want to make a call it will just call someone randomly, you never know who you're going to get. It also contains an iPod Shuffle and you can put your pictures on it, you just can't see them! :) Check it out!
For some of my more gullible friends, this is just a joke!