GUeewww

I got hungry on the way home today, really hungry, and I had an extra GU in my car, so I thought maybe that would tie me until dinner time. Gross, gross, gross. Let's be clear here, when you run long distances and sweat to all hell, GU tastes scrumptious, or maybe passable because you've sweat your body weight in water. It does NOT, I repeat NOT, make a good snack. It has about 55mg of sodium and man can you taste it. Bleh! The breathe it left me with was also less than ideal.

In other news, I try to remain optimistic about this new year - okay, so maybe I haven't been giving it my all - but at least I try to remain optimistic about M. He's new to teaching, new to life away from home, new to the working world. Sweet! Today I decided my efforts would be most rewarded if I just told him what we were doing because up to this point, he seemed to lack focus. So I would yammer away, "This is what I do...blah, blah, what to you think? Oh good, this is how I do it, blah, blah, blah." I suppose it was sort of non-collaborative of me. JE says I'm probably going to be doing a lot of hand-holding. Maybe it'll get better.

I also had to give up quite a bit of my stuff with the move. I had thought I would have my tables, bookshelves, computers, desks, etc. and was pretty much told I would have to leave all that. There is some word that I might get new computers. I figure if I don't within the first two weeks, I'll go in and take mine back. The bookshelves were annoying especially since the other teacher that moved in sort of moved her stuff onto them and then feigned ignorance that I had told her I would be moving them. New to our school and already pissing people off. Didn't thank the custodians for finding her some stuff and we all know that you treat them like gold because when you need it, they turn a blind eye and find you the good stuff. (No I don't mean that kind of stuff.) New desks showed up and I graciously passed them onto M saying that I would take the old ones. That proved to be a pretty self-serving move on my part, although I didn't know it at the moment. The desks that arrived are cumbersome single chair-desk units that belong in a high school. I pretty much would have flipped if they showed up in my classroom as they are not at all conducive to my teaching style. I like cooperative groups, I keep students moving around and change up groups quite a lot and I need movable chairs for the purpose of my student meetings. Totally ridiculous stuff that is not remotely important, but actually sort of screws with routine. And while I like change, I also like routine. You mess up my routine too much and I am not very effective. Its sort of like when I don't make time to exercise and several days pass. I become cranky and out of sorts. Being without what I am used to as a teacher also makes me cranky and out of sorts. So, I am not doing a very good job of going with the flow, but I only recently resolved this, so it will have to get better. For everyone's sake.