Thursday, November 19, 2009

How is it Thursday again already?

I'm only posting once a week now? You'd think I went and got myself a life or something!

I had guitar lesson #2 today. LOVE THEM, btw. I practiced my "homework" (2 pages on the notes on the E string--E, F, G) religiously over the last week, so when I walked in today my guy was actually really impressed. Instead of going over the lesson like he usually has to do, he just had me play the "hardest" part of the lesson to see that I had it, and we skipped right to the next string (the 2nd from the bottom, which is actually the top--the B string). Dude, guitar is SO MUCH HARDER when you have 6 notes to read and play instead of 3--and on 2 different strings, no less! I went from the advanced class to the slow, remedial group in about 2 seconds today, LOL. I felt SO bumbling and frustrated. However, he said he's setting the bar pretty high for me since I'm picking it up pretty quickly, so he expects me to come back in 2 weeks (we don't have our lesson next week due to Thanksgiving) and have this next section down. I told him I'd do it, come hell or high water, but right now it seems impossible. (Although by the end of this next section, I'll be able to play Ode to Jode, an actual SONG--and it's like 5 lines!)

Let's see...I hung out with Chad a couple of times this week, although one of our "dates" was helping a friend of mine move (which he VOLUNTEERED to do, btw. Shit, I don't even like helping my own damn friends move, let alone total strangers). We'll probably meet up at some point this weekend--I hope so, anyway. And he's coming with me to Thanksgiving at a friend's, too. (Although when he got out of the car on Tuesday night, he didn't kiss me or anything. Maybe I'm being all over-analyzing-y and stuff, but did I just get put in the Friend Zone? I know he was bone tired, but still.)

That's really all that's new. The other stuff is the same ol', same ol'. My work highlight this week was actually today--after giving a long division quiz on which my kids scored an average of 61 (after working on it for like 2 weeks), I retested them today and now there average was 80. And that's only because one girl was like 12%, which really messed up the overall average. They did SO MUCH BETTER. And one of my ESE (formerly special ed) girls got an A!! I think this was her first A in math in years, seriously. Now on to division with 2-digit divisors! (The divisor is the smaller number you put into the larger number, FYI.)

So...yeah. That's what's up.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Catching up

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks (how is that possible?). Here's what's been up:

1) I've been sick...a few different times. It's been all go go go with very little sleep, so my immune system has been even weaker than normal (which, let's face it, sucks even on its good days, LOL).

2) Parent-teacher conferences and report cards last week. A few late nights at school and lots of extra work at home.

3) I started guitar lessons today! My teacher is a 25-year-old John Mayer look alike (holla!); he's very cool and I was immediately comfortable with him. I told him that he was going to have his hands full with me because I'm musically UNinclined, blonde and Polish. However, I have to say, my first lesson was a huge success. Maybe I really am a guitar prodigy! Granted, all I did today was learn the E chord, learn the 3 notes in that chord (E, F and G), learn the frets (numbered from the top, starting with 1 and counting down), learn how to "count" the strings (the "top" string, #1, is actually the one on the bottom when you hold the guitar on your knee), learn how to "count" your fingers (your thumb doesn't count; finger #1 is your index finger). Oh, and I reviewed how to read the whole, half and quarter notes, and how to read E, F and G on the staff. And did I mention that that was all in 30 minutes? I have 2 pages in my book to practice before next Thursday (playing music with those 3 notes), and I'm going to have it DOWN before I see him again.

4) I met a guy, I think. I mean, I definitely met one; I just don't know what, if anything, is going to come of it. I just met him on Monday (at my after-work hang out place); we stayed there talking till almost midnight; we've talked every day since (usually several times a day); and we're hanging out again tomorrow night (I think I'm going to cook him lasagne). And I have to say, even though it's only been a few days, I'm already more excited about and "into" him than I ever was about Daniel. Even if nothing happens with New Guy (Chad), it's shown me that this thing with Daniel is definitely DOA. I really wanted to like him, but it's just NOT THERE.

I think that's about all.