Just Tripping Along The Freakazoid

Ok – I made it to Chicago – took off at 6am got in 7am chicago time (crossing them time zones always messes with me) – I actually slept a lot on the plane tho – nice two hour nap (which was needed because of all the non-sleeping I have been doing) Manage to get this airport express shuttle (it is rainy and kinda blech) and they drop me at the wrong hyatt – I figure that out and luckily they help me get to the right one and I get to check in early – yay Then going to the room - I find out half the elevators go to one set of floors and the other the othr set, so after riding up and down – lol – I get to my room – yay I hit the Field Museum (the other teachers coming in later) – that museum is awesome – it is mainly Natural History and culture and wow and man my feet and brain are tired – lol I was going all over the place – I got the ticket for the shrink to 1/100 size and walk through soil even tho' they said recommended for kids age 6 – hey that's me and seeing an animated pin...

Attended a concert saturday at The Music Box in the Borgata in Atlantic City - first i really like the venue - it was easy to see and nice seats with cupholders - a major plus. The group was Sound Tribe Sector 9 - my fist time and after the ass-kickingly awesome concert, I hope not my last - the place only filled about half way and people immediatly began seat hopping. In fact everyone started up on their feet from the getgo and let me tell you - this was the first concert I have been to that turned an auditorium type venue into a major dance club. I am not talking about the kind of minimal dancing and swying people do at concerts - this was full out people funk swaying and dancing totally loose (listen to STS9 music and you will see why http://www.sts9.com/ ). I enjoyed it a lot and danced the whole time. Now on to the reading conference in Chicago I have a 6am flight and then spend a week in the area (conference half the week and just little old me all alone exploring the Windy C...

Made it through a major meeting today – had a regional rep for the NAF academies coming down and managed to get just about everyone there (save a few which caused minor nerves and attacks) and everything else set. Actually had some good things come from the meeting (although it means lots more work for me – hurray for paperwork… NOT) Now it is on to the conference presentation next week. Then finishing the grades and such for the two college classes and as always curriculum in the background. But really after about May 15th I think things might settle down (depending as always on the status of work and jobs and my future which is another topic for another day) Of course then I will be looking around going what do I do now? What will keep my attention? Hmmm maybes I can look into actually taking a class for the summer or such. Or maybe actually get out there and connect and meet some people – that would be good… course not quite sure how to go about that – but hey something to thi...

guess this kinda fits the way things seem to be going right now - especially one set of lines - a wish to see someone's face I know I'll never get to - dreams sometimes are good and sometimes just make your heart ache because you know you can never have her - ah well - tomorrow is another day --------- Artist/Band: Allan Gary Lyrics for Song: Life Ain't Always Beautiful Life ain't always beautiful Sometimes it's just plain hard Life can knock you down, it can break your heart Life ain't always beautiful You think you're on your way And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day But the struggle makes you stronger And the changes make you wise And happiness has it's own way of takin' it sweet time [chorus] No,life aint always beautiful Tears will fall sometimes Life aint always beautiful But it's a beautiful ride Life aint always beautiful Some days I miss your smile I get tired of walkin' all these lonely miles And I wish for just on...

Had a flat tire Sunday morning and had to find a place to fix it - ended up at a nearby Pep Boys (love those plug into lighter air compressors - it got me to the place, hurray). Luckily they were not too busy and it was only replacing the one tire. So put in my name and get pointed to the waiting room - which for a car place is interesting and neat as it is adjacent to the car bays and all glass, so you can easily see and watch them working on your cars (I got to see how they do the tire as well as a few other jobs too). But the interesting thing to watch and ponder was how the kids who were in the waiting room interacted - and made me realize how sometimes I wish I could and really how sometimes I really do act like a kid... The adults are all sitting in the chairs, looking bored, not really talking... the kids go up to one another and start introducing themselves, start playing and oh the creativity - they made their girls go to the fungus school and were captured and were all over ...

Wow, I am glad I have my ark parked out back… just kidding but it started late Friday and has been heavy most of today and will be raining some tomorrow too. We needed the rain and I love the sound – especially in this house. The woman who owned it before me had the porch enclosed to make this sun room like thing, but you go in there and it is a big glass sliding door and the other wall al windows too and even if I open it a window in the roof, so basically I can go in there and really hear the rain – the room is not heated or cooled but it is a nice place. Plus she had built in benches (they are cool cause they are storage space too) but they are along one and a half walls so I can sit in the corner and just listen to the rain which helps me get to sleep or at least not think about tumultuous thoughts. Grocery shopping was interesting – the woman ahead of me bought this 24 pack of water bottles but got up to the register and the cashier tells her this is not the one on sale. So the...

Well today was an awesome spring day weather wise, but work was so-so. Found out one of like only three friends I have here in NJ accepted a position at another school kinda far away and will start there in sept – I am major major bummed. I keep losing friends and people. Had talkings with my Boss and most likely will end up staying at the school for another year but past that and in what capacity – everyday (like today) I hear someone else is leaving or moving or a job shift or…. I do not know what is going to happen but I am working like hell to hang on – anybody in the neighborhood have a spare arm I can hang onto? Going to try and work on some more curriculum tomorrow and also working on the Bridging Program for the summer (I am the Director for that program). Thinking about trying to catch some music at The Stone Pony tomorrow. Rented "Breakfast on Pluto" and watched it tonight – and I found I really liked it. It was a different type of movie but I understood more o...

Today ended up getting shittier and shittier as the day wore on and in true Julie fashion I have taken one bad thing and managed to somehow use it to pull up a myriad of bad and depressing thoughts about many topics and thus the day is firmly buried now under stinky, depressing things and the forecast for tomorrow predicts much the same. And the initial spark and reason for the downward spiral leaving me with a pounding headache and a pounding heart, said emotional heart that feels like it will explode and at least for tonight I almost wish it would because then I would not be so emotional and could be noncaring and not let things get to me so bad I have to pull over on the way home until I can stop crying like a fool and stop thinking the really bad, how worthless things are and all those emotionally charged thoughts. But ah yes the spark Have you ever cheated on a test, or paper or assignment or even on something outside of the school setting? If so, or next time you stand at the rea...

Work was odd today – it is spring break at the school so only 12 month employees (such as yours truly) have to go into work. And a lot of the 12 month take vacations – so it is pretty empty – which is odd but nice. It means this week I may actually get a number of projects completed and even catch up. Like today I finished typing up and writing the Diesel Engine technology curriculum (yes I have become an expert on Fuel injection systems, hydraulic breaks, dyno testing and a lot more). I spent a lot of time at Howstuffworks.com – you know I never realized how much there is that goes on under the hood of a car. I am still reading through the stuff. But back to projects – the down side to finishing projects is then I get to a place I do not know what to do with myself – and that is good and bad. Keeping my mind and self busy means less thinking about how quiet the house is so much of the time or trying to figure out what to do and not just sit around feeling like I am alone sitting ...

Whoosh – felt bad (physically and motivationally) so just stuck in bed after coming home from teaching my class. We finished up the Paleozoic and started the Mesozoic – I think adding the words (drum roll please) to my official class notes as I introduced the major development in the Paleozoic, the aminote egg, was not too dorky – I even ended up with a drum roll - ok reading back over that last – no wonder I just stuck in bed last night…. I do need a bit of a life and to get out more I think… Braces appointment today – I think they may be coming off soon – I hope because they always hurt after an adjustment (geez wonder why – lol) Almost caught up at work with projects – I have about four big projects to try and clear my desk and have today to do it. Tomorrow I am up North in Hudson County all day touring a high school that has a more advanced online learning program in place for its students – we are bringing online learning to the high school – I will be teaching next year for Vi...

Ok – I will post lots about the trip and family and all that next time, I promise, but for now I have to comment on a movie I just watched…. "Prime" It is so weird and it really, really hit me hard. It is half like me and even worse – the other half is what I secretly wish would happen to me See it is about – and oh if you do not want spoilers skip this But it is about Uma (Ralphie) who is 37 falling in love with a 23 year old (Dave) – and see that is the secret part/wish – that a relationship with that age difference could work for me as I kinda like a couple of people that would fit that description but anyhoos Uma is just recently divorced after a 9 year marriage and is going through things basically I am or have gone through and so that hit me really close too. But the scene where Uma finds out how old he is and the difference was very good – I liked it and it made me happy to see that sometimes those things you think can't work, really can. And then when Dave is d...

Whew - trip is incredibly wild - it is especially so considering trying to get 4 sisters and their families togetehr when two of the sisters do not talk at all (I can not believe my one sister is not inviting my one sister to her wedding - harsh) But yes lots of history there although they played semi nice since I came out for the trip well got sunburned the first 2 days now it is raining today and tomorrow so I can get a cold - awesome I am doing it all LMAO ok lots more to tell and cover but we are going to go and get resoaked at least I got checked out by our server at Joe's Crab Shack - she was very nice :-D