Sick Day...

I woke up feeling so unbelievably lousy this morning. I look and sound like a NyQuil commercial. There have been some minor signs for days, but this morning a bad cold was full blown. When it does happen, it is usually in October.

Today was a pupil-free day--no students--with a meeting by the math publishers. There was no way I could go. The only place I've been today was Target to get a new blanket for my bed, and I got a cart there just to have something to lean on.

The rest of the day has been spent in bed, enjoying a recording of last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy, and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. That when I really know I'm sick, because I very rarely sleep during the day. Not sure if I have a fever, but I suspect I do.

Thank goodness I have 2 more days to try and kick this. I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend. So much for working on report cards. Hopefully I can still make it to day trip to San Juan Capistrano on Sunday with my cousin.

Back to bed. Blah.

A monster has been created!

OK, so you know that I love to sing. I don't have a lot of opportunities, so the invention of online karaoke has been a great creative outlet for me. I've tried 3 different sites, but the one on MySpace is definitely the best and the highest quality.

And now there is a new feature called a "mikksu," which means MIX in Japanese. You can invite friends to sing with you--up to 4 people can sing on one song. You can do audio or video (the final videos look a little like the opening credits of The Brady Bunch.)

I've done a couple of duets and sent them on to my friend, Steven, who is still working on the finished products. But, my friend, Eric, had a GREAT idea--how about doing a duet with myself?

It worked great! I did 2 yesterday. A more serious Love Me Tender, and a goofy Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. Hey. Elvis and The Beatles. Can't go wrong there. Click the song titles listen. It's really fun!

A little bit o' catch up...

As usual, life has taken on its frenzied pace. Very normal for this time of year.

The Lea Salonga concert last Sunday night was amazing! We were in the 14th row in a theater that had a very intimate setup. I didn't realize this when I purchased the tickets, but the concert was part of a charity event being hosted by an organization called "A 3M", which stands for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches. Bone marrow matches and transplants.

In the theater's lobby there was a silent auction going on that had everything from Avon products, to fine jewelry, to Lakers seats right next to Jack Nicholson at the Staples Center. You can only imagine where all the men were gathered!

The concert was beautiful, Lea Salonga's voice was heavenly, and she sang songs from Broadway, oldies, and some Disney. Outside in the lobby I decided to register as a bone marrow donor and I even won the silent auction for a beautiful set of white gold/pearl and diamond earrings/ring/charm. They aren't super high-quality, but they're real, and they will go with lots of outfits.

The rest of the week took on its normal intensity at school, except that it seems like certain kids chose those few days to really push the limits. Lots of kids getting in trouble for various reasons, one is even suspended tomorrow for stealing. Stealing--in 4th grade. Oy.

Yesterday morning I woke up obscenely early and got my backyard ready so that my painter could sand and repaint my deck. It was really mangled after 4 1/2 years of pet claws and weed wackers from the gardeners. And now it is all done and looks great.

In the middle of the day I ran to the nursery and bought a few new winter flowers to replace some of the scraggly ones in my planters around my brick patio. Some safari plum, white snapdragon, and hot pink dianthus (those little flowers have really proved themselves to me lately!) Replanting took very little time because I had already cleaned things out and prepped the planters. They look great and nice with the newly painted deck.

Last night my mom and I went to a Vietnamese wedding reception for my sister-in-law's sister. There were about 300 people there, and my mom, brother, and I were the ONLY non-Vietnamese people there. I felt really TALL...LOL!

I didn't know what to expect, because I hardly knew anyone, but I actually had a really nice time! It was fun to see my nephew, Alexander, in his little tuxedo. (The shoulders were too big, and my brother said the outfit reminded him of Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein singing Puttin' on the Ritz. Funny!) My sister-in-law, Quyen, is the oldest of 7 kids, and her family is really nice. They really make an effort to make us feel welcome and included. I like her dad a lot. He reminds me of my grandpa who passed away last year--quiet, but with a certain strength and nobility about him.

The meal was amazing--a 10 course dinner that included scallops, lobster, prawns, sharkfin soup with crab...the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, the dinner wasn't served until late and ran past 11pm. I was so tired and asked my mom if she wouldn't mind if we left before the cake was served.

A funny and unexpected turn of events happened during the reception. There was live music with 3 different singers. One of them sang 2 songs in Vietnamese and then started singing A Kind of Hush by The Carpenters. I was lip-synching along and she noticed and brought me a mike and we finished the song together! That was fun! I couldn't hear myself at all, but I was told it sounded pretty good!

Today my tired body actually slept in until 8:30am! It never does that! Dressed by 10am, I ran some errands and came back and immersed myself into a new novel, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, by Dominick Dunne. If you read my blog you probably remember me raving about a documentary I watched on him a couple of months ago. I've been on a Dominick Dunne kick ever since and the novel (his first of 5) is fun, juicy, and captivating. High society murder and all that goes with it.

It's been a good 2 days and the weather has been gorgeous. And now I'm revitalized and ready to take on the week and all it has to throw at me. Bring it on!

Free Photo Booth...

This is one of the funniest videos I have seen. I think it was on the Tonight Show. Prepare to laugh!!

A Kanye West Week...

What do I mean by that? MULTIPLE INTERRUPTIONS. LOL!

OK, I thought it was funny.

Sometimes you just end up with weeks like that, where the days are constantly broken up by extra things. This week we had 2 rainy days, Picture Day, 3 meetings in the middle of the school day, and an earthquake drill.

When is there time to teach? Whenever we can. And today my lamp started to die in my LED projector and the computer tech aide says it could take up to 3 weeks to get another one.

So why am I in good spirits? Well, aside from Tuesday--first rainy day of the school year always makes everyone crazy--the kids have been pretty good, even my most difficult ones. And I'm losing 2 kids because our class is so overcrowded with 34 students. The 2 most recent enrollees are going to another class that has had 8 children move away (sometimes that happens.)

And now I'm just happy that it is the weekend!! Woo hoo!! Tonight I'm babysitting Alexander and we're going to make an appearance at the carnival being hosted by the church around the corner. Hopefully it won't be too loud! And on Sunday evening I am seeing the wonderful Lea Salonga in concert at the beautiful Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. She won a Tony for Miss Saigon several years back and has the most beautiful, clear voice. What a thrill! I can't wait!

Here's a video of her. Even if you don't know who she is, you've probably heard her before...

What a week...

...it's been busy! CELDT testing for 3 days, staff meeting, grade level meeting, Back to School Night tomorrow...

No wonder I'm tired.

I'll try to get a post in this weekend, along with some pictures of this Saturday's family gathering for the October birthdays. What should I get my mom???

Beautiful Music...

This morning I recorded a song that I had never heard before today. It is called The Portrait of My Love. My friend, Steven, told me about it and suggested that I give it a go. I'm so glad he did! It was easy to learn and has that old-fashioned sound to it that I love so much. I hope you'll stop by and give it a listen. It's a lovely song!

Click on the song title to hear it...

THE PORTRAIT OF MY LOVE

And for the record, I'm feeling a lot better. Yesterday's rest was just what my mixed up mind and tired body needed. After a few hours sleep in the middle of the day I went to Disneyland with my friend, Bobby, and we enjoyed the park for a few hours and had dinner. The weather was gorgeous and the park was all decorated for fall. A nice break.

Which dwarf are you?

I've always thought of myself more as Doc. In many situations I'm often the voice of reason. Certainly in my classroom this is true, where I play referee, psychologist, and calming guru on a daily basis.

This week has been exhausting and draining because of certain kids who are very at risk and teeter on the brink between calm and explosive every single day. Two particular kids that are on medication have had a rough week. They behaved for me about 95% of the time and were diffcult with everyone else. I consider that a triumph, but I've also worn myself out to make this happen. Still, I've maintained on solid footing with both of them each day.

Yesterday Kid A, who is being raised by a grandma, had an especially bad day. His parents are in Mexico and Mom can't take care of the kids for whatever reason. Yet he resents Grandma, like she took him away from Mom. I think that he has an idealized vision of what it would be like to live with Mom. Having grown up without a dad I can understand that. It takes a long time to realize that their best may not be what you want to believe. By the end of the day he was making noises during my lesson and I had to send him out. Our first referral of the year, which I did not want to do.

After Kid A had left I turned to continue the lesson and saw Kid B, who is ADHD, shredding paper into little pieces all over the floor. He got a referral too. I chose that moment because both kids had been warned multiple times and it was time for me to follow through. If I didn't do it they wouldn't take me seriously.

That is how the school day ended.

Kid B returned first after all the others had left and we talked. I know that sometimes he just goes into a fog when he does these things, but other incidents had happened this week to prompt me to finally give him a referral.

Kid A returned and had the proverbial wall up. I was supposed to meet with Grandma that afternoon. I asked him a few questions about her, like how he felt about her, and I got a lot of shrugs. When I suggested that perhaps part of the reason he was mad and acting out was because he wasn't with his mom (all said with sensitivity) I saw the poor kid's eyes fill with tears until they overflowed down his cheeks. Good grief, some of these kids are dealing with so much. And in true machisimo fashion, he just stood stoically and let them fall. I got a tissue and wiped them away, telling him that I want to be his friend and that I'm here for him if he needs me and needs to talk. I just need him to meet me halfway a little. There was a little breakthrough, but I could tell that he didn't like that I was seeing him as vulnerable.

Kid A left and I waited for Grandma for 20 minutes, who never showed up.

I left drained and exhausted, thinking about all of the issues some of these kids have in their lives. No wonder they can't concentrate on schoolwork.

Later in the day I felt the weight of these 2 kids' problems still on my shoulders. How could I not? I feel badly for them. They didn't ask to be born into these situations. It makes me realize how much of our lives is just pure luck, being born into a good family, having loving parents, having both parents. There are a lot of our lives we can control, but there are a lot that we can't. When I see how many challenges some of these kids face at such a young age that are beyond their control, it makes me wonder what the future holds for them.

I had very little left for the rest of the day and started yawning very early.

And then later someone told me I had been grumpy since school began. Ouch.

It is amazing how you can hold it together, hold it together and then.....gush....the tears come and you're over the edge.

Again I wished I could be one of those people who lets things roll off their backs, but, alas, I am not.

Every year has its challenges. This year I already know what they are: an oversized group of 34 kids and several very fragile kids. There are 5 in counseling--FIVE. They are only 9 years old. How can I not feel for them? I guess my 3rd challenge is to either feel a little less, or try to not absorb things so much.

I'm working on it.

But since I'm not there yet, I took today off for a little recharge.