In one middle school, they have a class called "Mentorship" which is a 30 minute period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Everyone in the school has it at the same time, and all the grades (6-8) are mixed together. I'm not too sure what usually goes on in this class, and the teachers never seem to leave any instructions or lesson plan for it. So the first time I had one, I just told the students they could talk quietly at their desks.
The kids were being pretty calm so I relaxed and started looking at a sheet or something on my clipboard while I was standing at the front of the class. It was a rare moment that I had shifted my focus from the students to something else. Instead of looking up every 5 seconds or so, I got lost in this sheet for a good 20 or 30 seconds. Well I guess kids are like wild animals, and if I was in a cage with a bunch of lions I sure wouldn't look down for more than a split second! Those unsupervised seconds ended when a piece of paper knocked into me and fell to the floor. It was a paper airplane!
Kids actually do that? I marveled. Kids STILL do that? Apparently.
Right away a few of the boys who were sitting directly in front of me started pointing and blaming the two boys in the back of their rows. One boy had a paper airplane in his hand. But, his plane was made with lined paper. The plane that hit me was graph paper. The other boy had graph paper on his desk. It was quite a mystery. But since I didn't have my fingerprinting kit with me, I gave up on CSI-ing it any further.
In the end I wound up telling the two boys I'd be leaving a note for their teacher with their names. I had no idea if this was an offense meriting a trip to the Dean's Office or if that would be going overboard.
So I learned that kids smell freedom (even if it comes from merely a few seconds of distraction) like lions smell prey. Stay attentive no matter what's going on.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
It figures! Crappy timing in car repair
I've had the car for almost 2 years now, and it's been a good car. Very reliable, always starts when the key is turned. The only repairs it's needed were on the suspension and body. Kris has been keeping up with doing preventative repairs so that there have only been one or two times that we got stuck, unable to drive the car. Even during the 7 months he was in prison, it only needed one part replaced.
Kris has worked a lot on the body. When I first got the car, there were some minors dents. Kris repaired some of the body parts and found replacements at the junk yard for others. By the time he went to prison the dents were gone and it just needed some paint.
Then, while he was gone, I had a stupid little accident. I drove right into a pole in a parking lot and put a large dent in the bumper. I undid all the work he had done! And bent some more parts too. Then one day I got on the freeway, and the hood (which couldn't close all the way because of the crash) flew off! So it was looking pretty pathetic.
We were able to find good used replacement body parts, and Kris replaced, unbent and adjusted everything back to the way they should be. The only thing he couldn't fix was the frame, which needed a little straightening out. We decided to take it to a body shop to have it fixed on a special frame machine. So that cost some money, but now the car will be safer in case of any more crashes.
Finally about 2 weeks ago the final adjustments and replacements were complete, and the body was looking good. Well, aside from the fact that it looked a bit like a patchwork quilt. We'll just save up for a paint job....
Last week, the knock that had been coming from the engine for the last few weeks started getting worse. The car stalled and then overheated. We had a shop look at it and they said it was the engine rods, and the whole engine would probably have to be replaced or rebuilt. I drove it the next day a few miles to work, and the next day, the knock was way out of control. We quarantined the car to the garage and started researching engine options.
Because the car is fairly old already, replacing or rebuilding the engine may not be worth it. It will probably run us close to $1000 to do it, that money might be better spent on another used car. But we just put money and work into this car. And we both really like our lil Celica.
So our options are:
Buy a used engine for about $650 (plus the cost for some other replacement parts). The used engines are tested to make sure they work just fine, but they are pretty old, who knows what condition they're really in.
Buy a rebuilt engine for about $1200. A rebuilt engine is like a brand new engine, everything's been taken apart and cleaned and fixed or replaced.
Rebuild our own engine. This is an option even if we buy a replacement because then we can sell it. Kris can do most of the work. We would have to pay for some work to be done in a machine shop, and for some replacement parts, but Kris' brother (who works at a repair shop) might be able to get discounts on those costs. Not too sure yet what these costs would add up to.
Kris' brother got a lead on an engine that kinda sounds too good to be true. For $1000 we can get a used engine with 2000 miles on it. Supposedly it was on display at the parts store, and now they are done displaying it. The store is in California (the price includes shipping it here) and it is part of a chain of stores called LKQ which seems to be pretty reputable. They test the engines and offer a 6 month warranty. 2000 miles sounds odd, but it's quite a deal if it's true. I know that you can't be sure with the mileage because the odometer can be reset or adjusted. But for one, we would be able to tell upon seeing it if it was really a 100,000 mile engine versus a 2,000 mile one. And, they gave us the VIN number, which only has 1 record according to Carfax. Our car had 20 records. The first was that it was shipped from the manufacturer to the dealership! So it seems like the car this engine came from was never even sold!
I think we're going to go with this engine, but right now we don't have all the money. Hopefully we can come up with the funds before someone else buys it!
Kris has worked a lot on the body. When I first got the car, there were some minors dents. Kris repaired some of the body parts and found replacements at the junk yard for others. By the time he went to prison the dents were gone and it just needed some paint.
Then, while he was gone, I had a stupid little accident. I drove right into a pole in a parking lot and put a large dent in the bumper. I undid all the work he had done! And bent some more parts too. Then one day I got on the freeway, and the hood (which couldn't close all the way because of the crash) flew off! So it was looking pretty pathetic.
We were able to find good used replacement body parts, and Kris replaced, unbent and adjusted everything back to the way they should be. The only thing he couldn't fix was the frame, which needed a little straightening out. We decided to take it to a body shop to have it fixed on a special frame machine. So that cost some money, but now the car will be safer in case of any more crashes.
Finally about 2 weeks ago the final adjustments and replacements were complete, and the body was looking good. Well, aside from the fact that it looked a bit like a patchwork quilt. We'll just save up for a paint job....
Last week, the knock that had been coming from the engine for the last few weeks started getting worse. The car stalled and then overheated. We had a shop look at it and they said it was the engine rods, and the whole engine would probably have to be replaced or rebuilt. I drove it the next day a few miles to work, and the next day, the knock was way out of control. We quarantined the car to the garage and started researching engine options.
Because the car is fairly old already, replacing or rebuilding the engine may not be worth it. It will probably run us close to $1000 to do it, that money might be better spent on another used car. But we just put money and work into this car. And we both really like our lil Celica.
So our options are:
Buy a used engine for about $650 (plus the cost for some other replacement parts). The used engines are tested to make sure they work just fine, but they are pretty old, who knows what condition they're really in.
Buy a rebuilt engine for about $1200. A rebuilt engine is like a brand new engine, everything's been taken apart and cleaned and fixed or replaced.
Rebuild our own engine. This is an option even if we buy a replacement because then we can sell it. Kris can do most of the work. We would have to pay for some work to be done in a machine shop, and for some replacement parts, but Kris' brother (who works at a repair shop) might be able to get discounts on those costs. Not too sure yet what these costs would add up to.
Kris' brother got a lead on an engine that kinda sounds too good to be true. For $1000 we can get a used engine with 2000 miles on it. Supposedly it was on display at the parts store, and now they are done displaying it. The store is in California (the price includes shipping it here) and it is part of a chain of stores called LKQ which seems to be pretty reputable. They test the engines and offer a 6 month warranty. 2000 miles sounds odd, but it's quite a deal if it's true. I know that you can't be sure with the mileage because the odometer can be reset or adjusted. But for one, we would be able to tell upon seeing it if it was really a 100,000 mile engine versus a 2,000 mile one. And, they gave us the VIN number, which only has 1 record according to Carfax. Our car had 20 records. The first was that it was shipped from the manufacturer to the dealership! So it seems like the car this engine came from was never even sold!
I think we're going to go with this engine, but right now we don't have all the money. Hopefully we can come up with the funds before someone else buys it!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Listen To Your Mother: Sights and Stars...and Me
Growing up I did a good amount of traveling. Every March vacation my mom and I and sometimes my sister would go somewhere. It was usually either Europe or California or Disney World in Florida. My mom’s philosophy was that she would rather spend the money on expanding our cultural horizons than on buying fancy new furniture and drapes (which would just be more to clean!) No matter the destination, we always came back with a few souvenirs and photos to remember the fun we had.
My mom had a stubborn way of taking pictures. At least, I thought it was silly, stupid and stubborn at the time. Any time we came across a nice vista, it was “Jenny, go stand over there.” I was perfectly content to shoot the sights as is, without me looking bored or her looking excited standing in front of it. But no, Mom’s POV was that we can buy postcards of the sights and the vistas to take home, but no one would know that we were actually here. Our scrapbooks would look just like everyone else’s scrapbooks.
In fact, the scrapbooks she put together were pretty unique. She combined actual postcards with the “personal” shots of us seeing the sights. She also included any mementos that she could stick on the page and still get the clear protective sheet to cover the whole page. So there were logo-ed napkins, hotel receipts, drink stirrers, matchbooks, etc. And menus. Since my parents owned a restaurant, my mom was always on the lookout for new recipes and ideas (and not just because then the meal could be written off as a business expense!) She loved to take home the menus from places on our trips. Our prized menu was from the Cheesecake Factory in Marina Del Rey, California. She had to sneak that one out of the restaurant!
Back then I thought the scrapbooks were a little over the top, but still pretty cool. Today, my own scrapbooks aren’t quite as 3D, but I do try to incorporate ticket stubs, brochures, etc. When Mom forced my sister and I to pose on a bridge in Florence Italy and re-create a famous painting, I couldn’t roll my eyes enough. Since then I’ve come to realize she was 100% right and brilliant! These days, I think if I had kids to take globetrotting, I wouldn’t make them stand next to a famous fountain…I’d make them get IN the fountain. With digital cameras and Photoshop, anyone can create a shot of themselves in FRONT of the sights. Now there is even more of a personalized scrapbook challenge!
When my mom and I traveled to Hollywood, we were excited to try to find celebrities to include in our scrapbooks. As with the vistas, Mom always wanted me to be in the picture with the celebrities. I was shy and would have preferred hiding behind a camera around my favorite actors. But there was Mom, always pushing me to the front of the crowd of fans to get my picture taken too. I’m now grateful for all those pushes and see the value in a picture of “me and” versus a generic paparazzi picture.
During one trip to L.A. in 1991, we found out where and when the rehearsal for the Oscars was taking place. We headed down there and waited around outside. We somehow wound up in a group of media photogs and almost got assigned to a spot on the red carpet. They eventually figured out we were just a mom and daughter tourist! Meanwhile we saw and took pics of many stars arriving and going inside. At one point, my mom pushed me to walk up to Christina Applegate (she was at the height of her Married…With Children fame at the time) and ask for a picture. Mom’s idea being that people will be less likely to get mad at or kick out a child! It worked, she agreed to a pic before I was shoo-ed away.
Years later, I took on Mom’s role at a Smash Mouth concert. In 2003 (not long after my mom passed away) I was working at a residential treatment center for teenage girls with behavior problems. On the weekends, a lot of the girls went home. Most of the girls that stayed behind were not allowed to leave campus. There was a handful who were able to go out with staff. That summer I spent many weekends as the “out activity” staff supervising one particular resident, a well behaved 13-year-old I’ll call Sara.
One weekend we went to a free outdoor concert. At the end of the show I decided to give Sara a lesson in being a groupie. We waited by the backstage door, and I started talking to the other hangers-around and of course the security guards. It was one of those times that you realize that’s your mother’s voice coming out of your mouth! I found I could let go of a lot of my shyness because I wasn’t trying to get an autograph for myself, a “grown woman;” I was trying to get one for a child growing up in treatment. I used Sara the way my mom used me! And I didn’t just use her for my own benefit, I wasn’t afraid to push to the front of the crowd because I wanted to make her weekend something special. (Remember, it was the father who called up Babe Ruth to come visit his ailing son….)
Sara and I wound up meeting one of the touring members of the band (I think it was the percussionist, Marc Cervantes) and she did indeed get an autograph.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Multiple Challenges of My Own
On Monday I got a call to teach ESL until June! Too bad I don't speak Spanish! Monday and Tuesday I got calls after 10am to teach a class for "diversely multiply challenged." I was trying to figure out what that meant. Tuesday I took the job and found out.
I got the call at 10:30 for a job that was supposed to start at 9! I immediately called the school to confirm they still wanted me to come. They did. So I got down there and saw several students in wheelchairs. In the office the receptionist told me Sorry, the job was canceled! :( But I took the opportunity to ask her about the school for next time. She classified the students as "profoundly" retarded/challenged. She said there will be lots of lifting and diaper changing! Good to know!
So I didn't work but now I know more about that school. I've done some research on the schools, so I know a little better what I'm getting into. Finding out some of the Unknown relieves some of my anxiety about taking a job. The good thing about the special schools is there are paraprofessionals to help (like on my first day) and the student: teacher ratio is usually 6:1! It's more like 20+:1 in the regular schools.
Anyway, I came up with some motivational statements for myself. When the phone rings, I have to remember: "Pressing 1 [to accept a job assignment] is the hardest part of the day." It all gets easier from there! So that's what I named the daily 7:45 alarm on my phone. Then, once I'm dressed and make it out the door, the rest of the day is a piece of cake! I'm going to make a sign to remind me of that and put it in the car or maybe on my bedroom door.
For me, it's true. Waiting for the calls, getting the calls and deciding on whether to take them or not is the most anxious part of the day. Once I press one, I just have to Go & Do It! Getting ready is also a struggle for me. What to wear, what to bring, avoiding getting on the computer to "research" the school and getting stuck on the computer.... Once I'm in the car, my work is done. Driving is fun. I usually get some traffic but thanks to the radio I have fun the whole way! Then once I get to the school, I just do what they tell me to do. And no matter how it goes, I know that by 3 o'clock it will be over.
I feel like once I'm in the car it's out of my hands. Before I get in the car, it's all up to me. So that's the most stressful part of the day. Hopefully my new mottos will help me push through the relatively short stressful period and get on with my day!
My First Day Of School (Again)
Today I had my first day of substitute ("guest") teaching! I started getting calls last week, all for assignments at special schools. Last week they called me for P.E. class, but I'm not allowed to teach P.E. (you need extra certification). On Monday my phone was ringing off the hook (I guess a lot of teachers partied hard for the Superbowl!) but my car needed a repair done, so I couldn't go anywhere. I got the car fixed on Wednesday (Kris' brother Eric has a friend who runs a repair shop and he gave me a huge discount on the labor).
So I was ready to get a call and go this morning! At 9:15 I got a call to teach an Autism class at Variety special school from 10:30-2. It would have taken me 20 minutes to get there, but I got stuck in traffic that added half an hour!
Anyway, I got there and found it wasn't an Autism class, but a behaviorally challenged class (which is more in line with my experience.) Turned out to be a class with two boys (17- and 14-years-old) and one assistant! The assistant and teacher have been teaching together for 6 years, so the assistant had things covered. She seemed pretty surprised to have an actual substitute there! So there wasn't much for me to do, but I won't complain!!
By the time I got there, the class had about half an hour of class time left. Then we had lunch. Then the class had its "journalism" period. The students quickly completed their assignment independently. Then I played War with the 17-year-old. He seemed very interested in me and asked if I had a MySpace! I said yes but of course would not give him my MySpace name! After getting bored with a never-ending game of War, it was soon time to walk them down to P.E.. While they were playing ball I had half an hour to sit by myself in the classroom. I read the newspaper. Then I left a note for the teacher, and the assistant and I went to pick up the kids from P.E.. We walked them to their buses and that was it!
I'm glad I finally have that "first time" done with, now I'm less nervous about taking assignments. Although, I doubt I will have another day as easy as this one was! It was a quick and painless $50!
So I was ready to get a call and go this morning! At 9:15 I got a call to teach an Autism class at Variety special school from 10:30-2. It would have taken me 20 minutes to get there, but I got stuck in traffic that added half an hour!
Anyway, I got there and found it wasn't an Autism class, but a behaviorally challenged class (which is more in line with my experience.) Turned out to be a class with two boys (17- and 14-years-old) and one assistant! The assistant and teacher have been teaching together for 6 years, so the assistant had things covered. She seemed pretty surprised to have an actual substitute there! So there wasn't much for me to do, but I won't complain!!
By the time I got there, the class had about half an hour of class time left. Then we had lunch. Then the class had its "journalism" period. The students quickly completed their assignment independently. Then I played War with the 17-year-old. He seemed very interested in me and asked if I had a MySpace! I said yes but of course would not give him my MySpace name! After getting bored with a never-ending game of War, it was soon time to walk them down to P.E.. While they were playing ball I had half an hour to sit by myself in the classroom. I read the newspaper. Then I left a note for the teacher, and the assistant and I went to pick up the kids from P.E.. We walked them to their buses and that was it!
I'm glad I finally have that "first time" done with, now I'm less nervous about taking assignments. Although, I doubt I will have another day as easy as this one was! It was a quick and painless $50!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Wardrobe Malfunction
It was my first day of training to be a substitute teacher for the Clark County School District. I got there early in order to have the required TB test done. You know, the thing where they poke you in the arm (sometimes it's a 3-prong, in this case it was just a regular needle) and then in 3 days they look at it to see if there was a reaction. When it was my turn to get poked, I started pushing up my sleeve and realized I couldn't! My nice, teacherly, new long sleeved top from Old Navy had a hem around the wrist that prevented it from stretching. I couldn't get it more than an inch above my wrist. But the needle had to go near my elbow area. Uh-oh!
After contemplating ripping my nice shirt, I decided my only option would be to start undressing. I asked the nurse if I could just pull my arm out, and she looked kind of dumbfounded. She looked around (there were lots of people around, but not too many right there) as I slid my arm out the bottom of my shirt.
So that was a fun way to start a new job! I told the cashiers at Old Navy the story the next time I was there (I happened to be wearing the same shirt). They seemed to get a kick out of it!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Bad girl
oh, the other night I just wound up pulling out in front of a cop (it was dark) and got pulled over. The officer was talking to me and after half a minute I realized that spotlight shining in my face wasn't a police light, it was a camera light! There was a guy with a camera pointed at me! And then I realized there's a big furry mic hiding near the sideview mirror and a sound guy crouched down by the front wheel! I got all tongue tied and nervous...so there's a chance I may get on the show (not sure if it was Cops or something else) if they do a segment on "dumbest drivers." Duh.... Anyway, the cop took my info and a few minutes later she wound up giving me back my paperwork and sternly telling me to be careful! Yay!
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