Farewell, cruel Michigan

It's actually not Michigan that's cruel; just the weather. But no matter, since tomorrow afternoon I'm returning to Ft Myers. Although there were times I didn't know how I'd last the entire 2 weeks (my mom and I had a couple of showdowns), it really did go by quickly and I'm sad to have to say goodbye--AGAIN to family (well, most of them), especially nieces and nephews. Man, it sucks to have to keep doing that over and over, every time I leave again.

So, I'm torn, because part of me is REALLY FREAKIN' EXCITED to get back to the warmth and sunshine of Florida...but it's also cool being in Michigan, where I can just zip over to my sisters' any time I want and see what's up.

I just have to convince them all to come down south, I guess... ;)

UPDATE: According to weather.com, it's supposed to be in the high 70s/low 80s for the forseeable future. Yeah, THAT should help to ease my pain over leaving the Little People behind.

Does this look wrong to anyone else?

Or is it just me...and Missy...and Nikki...and Steve...and Katey...and Ron?

I scanned a copy of my MRI for ya...

Tee hee.

Your IQ Is 120

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Above Average

http://www.blogthings.com/quickanddirtyiqtest/

Not only are they brave...but they're funny as hell, too

Remember the John Kerry quote I posted a while back (something to the effect of, "You either get an education or you end up in Iraq")? Well, I just found this picture on Myspace and I HAD to share it with all of you.

Here's to our heroes this Christmas.

Starting next Dec. 23

Festivus. *

Who's with me? (I'm thinking me, Nik, Mis, Lynda, Shawn, Ron, Renee if she happens to be in town and whoever else we can bribe with alcohol.)

I read about it every year, but today I actually sat down and researched the different elements of it and actually, I think it's pretty damn funny. With this group (and the aforementioned alcohol), it could be a blast.

Main elements of Festivus as excerpted from Wikipedia:

The Festivus Pole
The tradition begins with a bare aluminum pole, which Frank praises for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." During Festivus, an unadorned aluminum pole is displayed, apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, and because the holiday's creator, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting." Local customs vary and you may be able to decorate your pole with non-threatening plain decorations, or ordinary green garland.

The Airing of Grievances
At the Festivus dinner -- a meal featuring non-holiday comfort food -- each participant tells friends and family all of the instances where they disappointed him or her that year.

The Feats of Strength
The head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.

*We can cheat a little and still do Christmas, too.

Life List

I started my life list tonight after watching some 4-year-olds in a karate class (don't ask); here's what I've come up with so far. I'm going to work on this a LOT more but these were the first thoughts that came to mind. (I'd like to hear some of yours, too, because I bet you all have some I want to steal.)

Go to a NASCAR race
Fly first class
Get a black belt in karate
Go somewhere requiring a passport
Quit smoking
Get married
Stop procrastinating
Return calls more quickly
Go scuba diving
Fly a plane
Ride in a hot air balloon
Have LASIK surgery
Follow things through (projects, promises, ideas, etc)
Skydive again
Change someone’s life
Meet Ryan Newman
Stop sabotaging relationships

How to kill an hour

MYSPACE SCATTEGORIES...it's harder than it looks!

Your Name: Jen

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

**The only one I couldn't answer was "dairy product"**

1. Athlete: Julius Erving
2. 4 letter word: Jump
3. Street name: Jackson St (in Ft Myers, I had to look it up)
4. Color: Jade (damn, that one took a while for me to think of)
5. Gifts/presents: Jewelry
6. Vehicles: Jaguar
7. Tropical Locations: Jamaica
8. College Majors: Journalism
9. Dairy Products: ???
10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Junk =-)
11. Boy Name: James
12. Girl Name: Jill
13. Movie Titles: Just Like Heaven
14. Beers: J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (LOL, you do NOT want to know how long it took me to find THAT one)
15. Occupations: Jock strap maker (what? That's not a job? Fine. Jockey)
16. Flowers: Juniper (that's a flower, right?)
17. Celebrities: Justin Timberlake
18. Magazines: Jack and Jill
19. U.S. Cities: Junction City, Kansas
20. Pro Sports Team: Joe Gibbs Racing ....No? Fine. Jets (New York)

And I'm going to keep looking for an answer to "dairy," too. It's just the principle of the thing now.

Back in Michigan

Thanks to everyone who has asked--and yes, I made it safely back to Michigan. I was, however, EXTREMELY hung over for most of the trip (I went out for "one drink" with some teachers after work on Friday--and I got home at about 1:30. On a side note, I got up to pack at around the next morning--I was supposed to do it after work on Friday but, of course, THAT didn't happen--and I couldn't find my suitcase. I looked EVERYWHERE. So I ended up having to pack 2 weeks worth of clothes and various supplies in what was basically a glorified duffle bag. Yeah, that sucked).

Anyway, one of teachers from my school was actually on my flight from Ft. Myers to Detroit--and we both had a bit of a layover. Naturally, we did what any good teacher would do and went to the bar. I actually almost missed my connecting flight because of it (in my defense, that flight DID leave earlier than scheduled), but it was a good way to pass the time. Plus, we "bonded" (this was a teacher I had never really hung out with before) and the 2 screwdrivers seemed to help me recover from the 8 the night before. ;)

Both flights were fine, although I jumped at every sound and clutched the arm rests for the 15 minutes before and after takeoff and landing. I've already been to Katey's house to see her tribe and will get to see Donovan and Anthony (Missy's kids) soon, hopefully tonight or tomorrow.

Mom, of course, is already getting on my nerves, but that's to be expected.

How's everyone out there?

Why people become teachers
















There's more stuff piled behind the desk, too--and I had other things coming in all week.

This is why it pays to teach middle school: you have five times as many students. ;)

My kids are AWESOME.

Not sure how to title this post

I guess I'll just cut right to the chase: there's a 75% chance it's MS.

So that sucks.

But, it actually doesn't suck as bad as the other 25%, which includes vasculitis. I guess that vasculitis can be a pretty big deal when it affects the brain. At least MS won't give me a fatal anueryism or something. The test for that, though, is pretty damn invasive, so let's just hope it doesn't come to that. And there are other diseases that mimic MS, but the blood tests are more rare (I guess it's hard to find a place that is capable of testing for that) and really expensive.

Anyway, my neuro (I can't believe I actually HAVE a neurologist) said that considering the symptoms I have (including what appears to be lesions on my brain and possibly my optical nerve, which is the "multiple" in "MS"), my age and my race, "it's MS until proven otherwise." So now I need a spinal tap, which I'm having on the 2nd. (I told him that I'm the type who has to be sedated for an eyebrow waxing, and he said, "Don't worry. It's not nearly as bad as an eyebrow waxing.") After that, it'll take about 2 weeks for the results to come back. My next appointment (which is when I'll probably find out the results) is January 20-something. The spinal tap CAN come back negative for MS when it's actually positive, though, so it's by no means a definitive answer. But it's the next step. And then, positive or negative, we go from there.

Two months later...

Here are a couple of pictures from my hungover birthday trip to the gun range.




My most flattering picture? Perhaps not. But NO ONE looks good in those goggles and "ears."














See? I told you I didn't suck.

Top 100

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our last day of actual "work" at school before Christmas break (on Friday, we're having parties, etc). I was going to do something else, but I'm making a last-minute change to the lesson plan. I found an article on Cosmopolitan.com that I'm going to share with the kids--and with you. And then we're going to create our own Life Lists. (I got the idea when I read a post from a student who said she had done it in HER English class; I won't make them do 100, though. Maybe 25 or 30.)

As we come to the end of another year, it's generally the time for personal reflection, etc. Instead of making New Year's Resolution, I'm making some Life Resolutions. Feel free to join me.

The Life List You Must Write
BY MOLLY TRIFFIN

"I'm not proud of everything I've done, but I have no regrets," Ann once said.

Five years after Ann Nelson's death on September 11, she's still an amazing inspiration. Here's why.

When Ann Nelson decided to learn to cook, she didn't start with a simple meal: Her first culinary endeavor was Thanksgiving dinner. Although the turkey was done at midnight, it tasted delicious and everyone had a blast. In January 2001, the 30-year-old from Stanley, North Dakota, achieved another impressive feat: She relocated to Manhattan from Chicago. "One Monday, she called and said, 'Leenie, I just accepted a job in New York.... I'll be flying out tomorrow,' " remembers her friend Eileen Swartout. "I could hear the tingle of anticipation in her voice.... She was beginning a new adventure."

Adventure was something Ann often sought out, from whizzing down mountains on Colorado ski trips to traveling solo in Peru. Once in New York, she rented an apartment in the hip SoHo area, where her boyfriend, Eric Lockovitch, and their 130-pound Newfoundland, Newman, visited her.

But on September 11, 2001, Ann's jampacked life came to a halt — she was working as a bond broker on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. This past March, Ann's mom, Jenette, opened a file on Ann's laptop called Top 100, revealing an incomplete list of goals her daughter had hoped to accomplish. That list, printed here, may very well motivate you to start your own Top 100 — and live by it.

View Ann's list here (you'll have to copy and paste the whole link instead of just clicking it, since it stretches to two lines):
http://magazines.ivillage.com/cosmopolitan/connect/articles/
0,,284420_705638,00.html