Rotting My Brain With Reality [TV]

I'm house-sitting this week, the same house and dog I watched back in March. I'm enjoying the change of scenery, the pool, and relaxing. However, I do miss the lack of streaming Netflix, and ok the dogs...oh and Jon, of course. ;-) So, I've been going through the cable here recording various reality tv shows that I don't get around to watching at my own place thanks to Netflix and our dvr recordings provide more than enough 'quality' entertainment.

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As I watch some of these reality shows I am coming to the realization that reality television is like candy or a really large bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. One is not enough. And once you get started it's hard to stop!

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I will give you the list of what I'm watching and tell you about the specific effects it is having on me. Warning, this may seem more like a confession or stuff I'd be better off talking to a therapist about. Are you all up to the job?

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'Cake Boss': I actually saw this guy at a Food Network Cake Challenge that was filming the Tulsa State Fair. I could actually find myself when that episode aired, which was pretty cool. Anyway, this guy makes amazing cakes, runs a bakery that has pastries left and right. Serious yum. Watching a couple episodes of this show make me want to run to the pantry and get some sweet treats. So, not only am I worrying about my brain rotting away, but, I am working hard on not letting my teeth rot as well!

'Say Yes to the Dress': Ohhhhhh man I knew it was NOT a good thing to click on this show on the guide menu. Jon and I have been talking about the big M and starting our lives together. As a little girl I obsessed over getting married and the wedding, but, as I aged I became a LOT more cautious about tying the knot. So, I watch this show and see these beautiful gowns, the stories, the ceremonies, think about Jon and I going to the chapel, and now I'm on Kleinfeld Bridal's Website looking at these extraordinary gowns and getting ideas. No good can come of this, can it?

'Dance Moms': Mothers who are living through their child's competitive dance careers, a large demanding dance teacher who will do whatever it takes to win, snide remarks, bitchiness to the tenth degree... This show is horrid to watch and yet I'm riveted. I know it does not represent the dance culture as a whole, but, I will say watching these women (some way, way worse than others) tear one another down, complain about the hours their kids are working (yet they keep coming back for more), all make me feel better about being an Irish dancer and our competition culture. We all like to feel a bit superior don't we? lol And now I feel as if I need to go to confession for saying that. Ugh.

'Toddlers & Tiaras': Little girls, fake tans, teased hair, competitive mothers, pageants and enough rhinestones to make a raccoon have a seizure. Need I say more to what I'm loosing in brain matter to this show? I didn't think so.

'Dog the Bounty Hunter': This is a guilty pleasure. I mean, people who were in jail, turned their lives around, began hunting down criminals, and are very successful at it. Only in America!! I don't have any guilty feelings though when I watch this show. I'm thinking this is probably a problem... a big problem.

'House Hunters International': Can we saying living vicariously through others? This makes my desire to move abroad stronger. It'll happen one day!! In the meantime I watch this show and think, "Oh wouldn't it be nice to be in Slovenia?? Paris? Italy? Ireland?' so on and so on. I could waste a lot of time dreaming thanks to this show!

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And there you have it. The list of my sinful indulgences. Hopefully, by next week when I'm back at home, actual reality will set in and I will be cleansed of these thoughts from my multiple 'transgressions'. But, surely, it won't hurt to watch one or two of these on occasion will it? ;-)

Floating Misadventures

Saturday was my very first, official, float trip. Floating is a very popular pastime here in the OK, that and going to the lake. What we lack in oceanfront we make up with rivers and man made lakes. That's just how we roll in this land locked state. Essentially, when you float down the river (usually the Illinois) you go with friends, grab a cooler or two filled with beverages of your choice, water, and food, rent a raft, and basically sit in said raft, let if float down the river, paddle when need be, and drink beer and chat with friends. I have never been on a float trip, which is a travesty as I've lived here since I was 11 years old. So you can imagine how excited I was about actually participating in this beloved Okie pastime.

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Saturday morning at about 6:30am Jon and I grabbed breakfast at Whataburger (their sausage, cheese, and egg biscuit sandwich is SO tasty), filled the Prius up at Quiktrip, and headed southeast to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Nearly an hour and a half later, we arrived at one of the many places you can go to rent a raft, and met two other friends there. As the excitement builds, and builds for me Jon goes in to rent a raft and promptly walks back and says they have rented out ALL of their raft. It's not even 8:30am and they're out.

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Crap.

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Turns out it's good to have a reservation. These can be easily arranged online or by phone. But, did Jon or my other friend who's been floating loads of times think of this? Oh of course not! So we drive to three different places, each completely rented out. The fourth place we went to had a raft, but, only took cash. We get in our cars to look for someplace with an ATM. Five minutes into this search I asked Jon if they took checks, he replied that they do. Then I told him I had his checkbook in my purse. D'oh! So we call, turn around, and head back. At this point I was ready to scream, but, I chilled out. We got on the river about an hour and fifteen minutes after we planned, but, we were going and that's all that mattered. Or so I thought.

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I had to be back in Tulsa by 3pm, 4pm at the latest, to feed the dog I'm watching while I housesit. This we all knew and my friend assured me we'd be done floating the seven miles by no later than 2pm. Mind you we didn't have a watch, which caused a few problems later on. I was really enjoying floating until we asked someone what time it was and they told us it was 1:07pm and we were far from the end of our river trek.

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My manic control issues took the front seat then and I was begging everyone to help me paddle to speed things up. This wasn't objected to except by one, a great guy friend, who had one (okay more like three or four if not more) too many, and didn't want to be rushed. See the thing with floating at this time of year is it is HOT. Right now, we've been suffering from extreme +100 degree temps for the better part of three weeks with no end in sight. Worst heatwave since 1980 from what I've been told. That's how it is in Oklahoma, worst blizzard ever late winter, worst heatwave in thirty years in the summer. Our weather is bi-polar medicated with stimulants. Anyways, back to my friend. He usually can handle his beer, but, when it's THAT hot it hits your harder and faster. I stopped drinking around noon as I had to drive Jon and I back to Tulsa. But, my friend, he didn't stop drinking, nor did he really eat, nor did he work to stay somewhat hydrated. A deadly trifecta that resulted in his belligerence to my need to get back to my house/dog sitting duties.

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Fabulous

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Jon, me, and drunk friend's girlfriend all begin to paddle. It was getting hotter, the river was filling with more people who had nothing but time and an endless supply of alcohol. I shouldn't have been paddling as my burned hand is still recovering, but, I sucked it up and paddled away. Oh, should I mention that I'm horrible at any activity involving the need to row? I flipped a canoe over in summer camp once as a kid and decided I really shouldn't pursue a career nor hobby involving paddles and water. We went in circles, floated sideways, but, eventually we got a rhythm going, only to get stopped by a raft in front of us or my drunk friend doing something to slow us down. At this point, floating was not so much fun and I and the rest of the sober crew were getting extremely upset by the minute.

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We finally got to the end of the seven mile course and to our cars. Water and pedialyte were immediately consumed, as it was HOT and I believe I sweated off nearly all my water weight. My drunk friend and his veeerrrryyyy ticked off girlfriend got in their car and Jon and I headed out without saying much to our friends. It was past 3pm and that was hauling it towards the end, imagine if we hadn't paddled at all. An employee at the raft rental place mentioned the float trips can take up to twice as long to complete when the river levels are lower due to the summer heat. Good to know! (I hope you can hear my dripping sarcasm- it's quite potent)

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I made it back to Tulsa a quarter after four, yes, I was speeding, and the dog was quite grateful to get outside and do her business, not to mention getting fed. I have decided that while the last hour and a half or so really, really sucked overall I like floating. I mean your hanging out with friends, surrounded by water and neat scenery, eating and drinking to your hearts content (but, within reason or it is not fun) so what's not to like? That said, I think next time we'll a)Call ahead to reserve a raft b) In doing this head out earlier when it is cooler and less crowded c) I will NOT make any plans on the chosen day of floating and d) Get drunk friend's sister to come with us to threaten drunk friend with telling on him to their mother. Childish? Maybe. But, after going through the whole list of what not to do on a float trip I'm willing to concede that a little policing by a sibling maybe necessary to ensure a smooth float trip.

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Lessons learned!!

Hard Work

Dancers practicing in Nashville during the Irish dance Nationals earlier this July. I love this shot. This is what working hard looks like. I saw so much of that during my five days in Tennessee, it really blew my mind. The dedication, the discipline, the amazing dancing... that's what goes into one's few meager minutes on stage at a major competition like this.

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And that is why I've begun practicing until my feet can't take it anymore! More pictures to come!

So I Did Something Stupid...

Gotta love the comically large thumb there.

Six days ago, my last day in Nashville, I was in a bit of a blind rush. I needed to get everything in my room packed up, get ready for my day, get ready to leave Nashville, and get to my friend's competition by 9am. All was going well at 8:30am, until I reached for my curling iron. Normally, that action wouldn't be anything to write about, but, I didn't grab my curling iron in the 'non-interesting' way. I grabbed my curling iron on the hot end (obviously I wasn't looking). The hot end that was set at 450°. Yeah big a** whoops there!

Some of my burned skin, six days later. It looks a bit freakish.

So you all can imagine the scream, the tears, the running mascara, the tremendous pain, and the panic that came with all of that (and the amount of one handed last minute packing that I had no choice but to do). Fortunately, I had the state of mind to grab the aloe Lidocaine burn spray can and spray it all over my burned hand. I was also fortunate to be able to see my teacher's mother, an ER doctor who gave me great advice, and a medic was on staff at the resort hotel with the oh so miraculous silvadeen which he generously slathered all over the burn on my palm and the multiple burns on my fingers. I also had some anti-biotic ointment with numbing analgesics in it to keep the pain at bay (for the most part) during the 10 hour ride home. I have been pretty uncomfortable since that whole ordeal, but, thanks to some clarity of mind and better living through chemistry the moment it happened, things could have been a lot worse. I've had blisters, swelling, and the freakish loss of the lines on my thumbprint (the thumb got the worse of it) and on my fingers. But, I am healing and should be right as rain soon enough.

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Just remember, it could always be worse! ;-)

Irish Dancers Kick- Even on The Fourth

Okay so technically speaking these pictures were taken yesterday, but, there's a lot of dancing going on today, and the kick and 4th title seemed fun, so I rolled with it. Yesterday I, along with my dance friends, [pictured above] helped to break a world record. 652 dancers in all lined up in a big room, held hands, and did a jig for five minutes. I showed up at the last minute, thinking it was over, and managed to get there just in time! Dancing that long on concrete really stinks, especially in bare feet, but, it was to break a record and now I have that as a bragging right. Go me!

I don't know who the guy next to me was, but, look at his kick! I did get a spray tan by the way; it's impossible for me to look like that without chemicals and space age technology. I figured it would be better for all if I had a tan when I wear my swimsuit here. I don't want to blind everyone! It's vain, I know, but, don't judge me. Us pale people gotta do something to blend in with the general population. Especially, when the majority of that population are spray tanned as well, bouncing around in wigs. It's an Irish dance thing.
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Hope everyone is having a fun and safe Fourth of July!!

A Universal Truth

If there is a suitcase anywhere in the house, with or without stuff in it, a cat will find it and be in it. This is a scientific fact. At least, it should be.

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I'm in Nashville watching and photographing my friends as they get ready to dance at the Irish dance North American Nationals. This competition is HUGE folks. I've literally rubbed elbows with at least three world champions and have seen some amazing dancing. More pictures to come!

My Job as a Roller Coaster Ride - Sans the Puke

Thank you, knowledgerush.com for the accurate depiction!

I am not here to discuss how working at a school with low-income, high risk kids can be a crazy ride from day to day. I think I've covered that sufficiently with at least one entry per month mentioning that. lol No, what I'm about to tell you is the craziness that is working for a local public school system here in the OK. Fair warning, this will be a bit lengthy and has plenty of twists and turns. Hope you can keep up!

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While I do not have the statistics on hand, let's just say that Oklahoma is ranked pretty stinkin' low compared to most of the states when it comes to funding the schools, paying our teachers, etc. So it came as no surprise that my employer had to reorganize their district to try and save money. Plans were discussed, town hall-esque meetings were held, and teachers and staff held their breath. The plans came out and the school I work for was safe. We were going to add another grade, but, we would be able to retain everyone. Phew!

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But, unfortunately the feeling of relief did not last long. Soon we were told all support staff who was hired this past school year would be given non-renewal notices; the district cuts people according to time served as opposed to who the principal believes need to go. I get it, but, it does stink as I was one of those employees who received said notice. My principal reassured me this happens all the time, staff is told they're getting cut because Title 1 allotments are always changing. So, while I was nervous, I trusted my principal and everyone else's past experiences. My boss also reassured me if she couldn't get me back as a para, she would do everything in her power to get me back as a teacher's assistant.

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THEN the last day of the school year comes and teachers are then told our school has to cut six 1/2 positions!!! The reason? The reorganization plan that was approved messed up the redistricting. Some students were going, some were staying, but, overall the numbers were HUGE mess. I was sad for the teachers, but, also even more worried about getting a new job. Fortunately, they were able to save positions because my school insisted that the lines were looked at closer to give a more accurate list of how many students we were going to have for 2011-2012. To add to the mess, however, there were calls about cutting the TAs who had been there for awhile. It's a good thing I don't bite my nails, because I wouldn't have any nails left!!

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You think it's over right? Ohhhhhhhh no, no, no. The state legislature passed a bill that basically cut funding to public schools (mainly to primary education, naturally the universities of this state were left alone.). The district, who had just implemented a new program to save money, now faced cutbacks. So, the funding to special education programs were cut.* Forty para positions were part of the cuts. At this point, my chances of gainful employment with my school looked very dismal.

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Fast forward to last night, my principal called me. I was teaching a piano lesson at the time, so, I had to call her back. I was nervous, and being me, I kept thinking it was bad news. I mean can you blame me in light of all the crap that has happened? After playing phone tag, and waiting nervously for over two hours, my principal and I talked. She has a teaching assistant position open and wanted to know if I would accept! I naturally said, 'HELL YES!' Ok so maybe I didn't say that specifically, but, I accepted. I know being a para has more clout, technically, but, with how things work at my school it would be essentially the same job. Bouncing from room to room helping in any way that I can.

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I know, it's one crazy set up. I love my job as I do feel I am making a difference for children. However, by no means will I be doing this forever. I'm grateful though that I will have this experience to learn from and use for what I may do in the future. I am also grateful to have steady income and insurance!! It has been a crazy roller coaster ride working for the public school system this past school year and I think I could write a short book on my observations and thoughts about what I've seen this year. Here's to another school year, working hard to teach children who have to traverse the odds of their situation and to survive budget cuts.

*Don't get me started on how tricky this is legally and ethically. Blogspot would shut down with what I could say about this!!